open Casual stroll

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

" Oookay?.... Thanks?" Light replied to the pegasi and wave good bye. 

As they've gone through the process, they have their day.

" So Shark-" he'd approach his love and put his hooves around her shoulder"- what do you wanna do today?" He bashfully asked. 

He'd look at her eyes..." Hungry right? " He guessed. 

[Rising Dusk 27,686]

@Blitz Boom

There it was again.  That dead silence.  A stark contrast to the difficulty it was to get an Equestrian crowd to quiet down long enough for a ceremony to happen.  Cheers, flag waving, general joyfulness.  Did his speech miss the spot?  Maybe coming up with a speech beforehoof instead of winging it in front of thousands would have served him a bit better.  Did he not live up to the hype gossip had created when creatures around Harrowmark envisioned what their savior may be?  Maybe he put a little too much Equestrian in it.  Is this were the hook on a comedy stage was suppose to appear now to hank him away from to unamused mob?  Well, that hook took a different form.  A pup some distance away on a roof top had accepted his gesture.  Then another, and another, the flood gates had been released after a somewhat awkward delayed reaction.  Thunderous cheer shattered the silence.

The feeling was, strange.  Dawn, his mother and father stood before crowds all the time.  That was their place.  Even growing up, school plays found the young colt relegated to the special effects or stage team.  That didn't even change in the present day during the neighborhood's various festivals throughout the year.  They said joy was infectious and being the center of its cause wasn't uncommon to Rising, but at this scale, it was very different than helping just one pony in a big city.

Feeling the ache from holding his hoof that long, he slowly lowered it just as the merriment sparked by their Queen and Rising had triggered the festivities to begin.  Rising took note of Necrotic's signals just as tables were being brought forth and the gathering switched from listening to performing.  The family followed back through the large door until its small barrier could block them once again from the party.  Much more difficult to contained the joyous sounds now.  "Ho ho ho!  Quite the speech my boy!" his father beamed and slapped him heartedly on the back.  "He gets it from his father," Grace fluttered in close, tears of pride welling up in her eyes as she stole a kiss on his child's cheek.  She produced a handkerchief from her dress and gently dabbed her eyes before her make up be ruined.  "That silence had you stiff.  Nervous were we?" Dawn teased.  She full well knew how he felt during that brief moment on the balcony.  Dawn and Grace commanded the attention of those gathered to witness them and relished it.  His father a college classroom, probably a harder challenge to have to do it over a longer period of time.  Rising wasn't in his element.  "I... managed," he acknowledged.  Not technically a lie, but not revealing the truth either.  Dawn smirk, but let it slid so he could enjoy his moment in a bigger than usual spotlight.

"That would make for a bad impression, on both our parts," Rising agreed.  Better to not fight back in this regard.  If he felt an escort necessary, then so be it.  The detective took a long breath in, and then out.  "You needn't worry about me, Necrotic.  I'm fine.  Please, lead the way," Rising smiled.

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Rising Dusk

Necrotic had a pleased smile on his face, as he saw the interaction, between Rising, and his family. It was a very loving, supportive bunch he had around him. Something he well deserved, and would need, with the weight of not just what he did here, but in general, at his job in his own country. Family to help him carry himself on the rough days, or as now, give him some praise that felt more near, and sincere, than he might think came from the crowd.

"I apologize if the crowd were somewhat... Delayed in their reaction. You are our savior, and yet, you are also an outsider, in a country that have been taught through generations, that they should be suspicious of those they do not know. It leaves a certain degree of tension, but as you witnessed, all it takes is one, and soon, all will follow. It is my belief, and sincere hope, that this have now established a connection, and caused them to be willing to reach out to not just you, but more Equestrians.

And might I say, that I agree with your family. Considering the rushed circumstances, you did splendidly.

In any case though, if you do feel ready, then we should proceed. But please, let me know if you feel discomfort at some point. I'm certain I can delay your more personal introduction, at least for a few more moments, if need be."

Necrotic would take the lead, and guide them down pathways through the sizable castle. The old style of it, never waning, even as the rooms were markedly different at times. It showed well the old feel of the place, and considering the things and portraits around, also how they valued tradition, and their history greatly. Even though there would be a few portraits torn, and statues splintered on the floor, left along what appeared to be metal plaques, stomped on a substantial amount of times. Remnants of a less than beloved figure, that the staff had been more than pleased to stop giving the same care, as the actual castle items, and figures in their history.

One of Twisted's more grander looking statues, they'd manage to see actually getting pushed out of a large window, into a dumpster waiting far below, by around four staff. Two kitchen, a maid, and what might be a squire. They did not notice the group, as their focus were on this fully.

As they got far enough from that spectacle, Necrotic would speak of it, and what they might see other places too.

"History is important, and we believe that prominent figures in our history, should never be truly forgotten, for better or worse. That said, I hope you understand that most do not want to be confronted with his distasteful visage, and *inspirational* quotes, on a daily basis.

Ah, and here we are."

Necrotic would halt, and stop at a large, oak door, with a sign above, reading *Knight Quarters*, in carved letters, upon an oaked board. It seemed wafter being carved, the letters had then been slightly burned, to give it a darker, natural hue.

Opening it, they'd be confronted with the beginning of a training hall, with weapon and armor racks stacked around the walls. It would end and lead into an open yard, where at least a couple dozen creatures were currently either preparing their armor, sparring with one another, or polishing their gear. Or as were the case with a rather immense looking diamond dog - her being easily twice the height of Rising, despite not standing straight, but crooked over, like they tended to be - currently having a training exercise, which were destroying a statue of Twisted, with her bare paws. Primarily through punches.

As she did not wear armor, but just training clothes, her greying, brown spotted fur were fully shown, as were the scar going over her empty left eye socket, that seemed to have been charred as well. It made her look a little intimidating to most at the best of times. Her long, thick fur, that still looked scruffy and wild, did not help that fact to a fair few, as it made her look somewhat feral. The only hair that were somewhat combed dwell, being her long hair, going down to her thighs. Yet even that were pretty thick and scruffy, giving it a semi-unkempt look, after it passed her neckline.

She and several others, would turn their heads, as they heard the doors open, and as they saw the prince, and his group, they'd all stop whatever they were doing, and salute the lot of them. The diamond dog, leading the word.

"My prince. What brings you here?"

Her voice were deep, and sounded like she had a near permanent growl to her words.

"Be at ease everyone. There is no need for alarm. I have come here on official duties, seeking a group to escort our esteemed guests, as we tour Copperhagen. I had hoped in fact, that you might be willing to join us, in front of a regiment of your knights, Captain Gerthrude?"

"For country and queen."

She'd take one of her meaty paws, and bash against her chest twice, then turn around, and point at a few knights. All picked, seemingly excited about it, and rushing off to get their armor ready. In the end, six - herself included - would be picked out. All diamond dogs, with two of them being undead.

"A great selection, Captain.

And of course, might I introduce you formally to our guests? Sir Rising Dusk, of Equestria, and his dear family.

My friends from far away, this is Captain Gerthrude. Pack alpha of her own squad. If she cannot keep you safe, I might dare say that none can."

"Flattering words, my prince.

It is an honor to meet you, Sir Dusk of Equestria."

She'd go down on one knee, and bow her head to Rising. She'd still tower over him, even like this, but that were one reason why Necrotic found her a suitable guard leader, for this excursion. She were impossible to not bite notice in, and if things got too hard, she could carry Rising, or any of his family, above the crowd with ease. She'd also tear someone in half, if they tried harming them, which were certainly useful too.

==========================================================================

 

@Kujamih

"Uuuuh, food! Food good. We eat."

She'd rub her face against the side of his, then notice the two kitsune, and would fly over to them. As she got in front, they'd vanish out of sight, with a notable pop, and a small poof, like a firework. Yet Shark did not leave. She'd just look confused, then sniff the air, and then poke into thin air, to the left of her.

"Fluffy ones, can't see. Still smell."

"That's not fair."

They'd shimmer into view again, and then look at Shark, somewhat nervous, as were seen by them standing even closer.

"We go eat. You hungry too? Wanna eat?"

"You're not gonna eat us, right?"

Shark would reach out, and pat the female twice on the head with her hoof. Which made the male smirk a little bit.

"Food don't talk."

"We guess it wouldn't be so bad then. Unless he says no. We do not want to make him angry. He feels strange."

"Mate will be okay. Yes? Light? We eat with fluffy ones?"

She'd look at light, beaming with smiles, whilst the kitsune looked at him, semi-nervously. They weren't sure what it were, but something felt off about him, compared to other ponies.

=====================================================================

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-11-05 at 4:36 AM, EQ_Theta said:

With Scarcity in her shop, the baker noticed the little ones scurrying about. Hammond was more noticeable, as he ran to the esteemed-looking guest and a little filly that accompanied her. Seemed like they were acquainted with each other. Most surprising of all was Munchkin’s behavior, as even she approached the filly and rubbed herself on her legs. That was usually a sign of affection, hinting that the cat might know this guest, especially when her purring is more audible this time around. Maybe there was more going on here…

“Welcome! Please have a look around and pick out what you like! I see Munchkin and her friend are familiar with you lot; guess she’s been busy making friends when she isn't around.”

The filly gasped, as she saw her little kitty friend too, and would lean down to pet the cat. She'd look up on occasion towards Scarcity, and point towards the cat. Something which made the mare smirk, and eye the cat a little too, though she did not approach further. She didn't want to potentially spook the little one away.

"So this is the cat you mentioned, had been playing with Hammond? How amusing of a coincidence."

She'd make some gestures towards the filly, explaining that she thought it were a strange, yet funny little coincidence, that they ran into one another here.

On 2022-11-05 at 4:36 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Welcome! Please have a look around and pick out what you like! I see Munchkin and her friend are familiar with you lot; guess she’s been busy making friends when she isn't around.”

"Indeed she have. I were barely told as it were, but it delights me that Hammond is becoming so social already. It bodes well for his future.

Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Scarcity, and this is my daughter, Floral Phantasma."

A few words might be mumbled, in case there were yet other customers, as it were not known that Scarcity did have a daughter. Not except for a few, who had been sworn to secrecy, until she were ready for things to be said publicly.

Floral would wave up at the mare, then go back to petting Munchkin.

"I must say, I have rather been looking forward to going here. A few meetings where I have had some delightful cinnamon rolls and such, from this bakery, but time can be such a rarity to come by at times. Took me far longer than I wished, to get here.

Might I order three cinnamon rolls, seven buns, and a larger cake of your choosing? We are not picky eaters, so I will be interested in seeing your suggestion."

It came with her being an observer. The more she learned of others, however minute, she could use that to expand upon, and in the end, get to know others, far more than they'd like for her to do. Something like what Rosa did, but creepier, and more expansive.

"Also, I come with a question. I have an arrangement coming up, and wonder if I can order an arrangement of buns, breads, and cakes? I have made use of others before, but found the result somewhat lacking. And store bought, simply won't do. The taste is rather lacking, compared to properly baked goods.

There is a few weeks to go, and while I do have options, I believe this place would do rather well, in providing, if given the correct degree of preparation time. I believe two hundred and fifty assorted buns, twenty five breads, and around fifty-three cakes should suffice. The buns earliest, of course. The cakes are for after the brunch."

This were a small place yes, but Scarcity had tried others, with varying degrees of success, and she heard well of this one. As such, she'd see if Peaks were one that were up to the task, by seeing if she were able and willing, to try her hoof at this order. If she were, and the quality were there, she'd definitely keep this one in mind, for future things. As well as letting some words slip, about where the baked goods had come from, of course. She were not cruel, and wanted obscurity for this one, after all. Not if she did well.

Besides, it would prove an investment into more interest in Old Town, which she did have a vested interest in, for various reasons. Most of them being lucrative.

"I am well aware that it might prove taxing to do, in time and effort, for a smaller establishment, such as this. I assure you that I will compensate you for your work accordingly too. In writing, if you'd prefer. It is a delightful way to remove a degree of uncertainty, in a larger deal like this."

If she seemed interested, Scarcity would also point towards the dish, that had been sold to Omen, if it were on display, and order one of those too, for herself. She did not partake in this kind often, but she felt in a good mood thus far, and as such, felt as if she could indulge herself a little.

On 2022-11-05 at 4:36 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Yeah… I may have also known about Hammond’s gem since last night. He told me about how it worked, though it seems everyone here is already on the same page about that.”

“This is the first time I’m hearing about that, and you did say you ran into Hammond last night, then. Regardless, I think now would be a good time to know about our alternatives for contacting you, Rosa. The couriers you mentioned will definitely be useful in case we need to get in touch.”

“As for whatever else we have planned for today, I just remembered that I owe some folks for the stuff we brought here to decorate your home. I don’t want them to think I’ve neglected our trade, and I suppose those will have to double as an apology gift now. Maybe we could have a look around town and see what we could get? This might be a good time to gather some things for home.”

"I know of a place where we can seek out tools, if that is what you wish for. Though it will depend on your desired price range. There are all from high end, to reused tools, depending on what you want to spend on them, and how discernable of an eye you have. You'd be surprised what can be found at scrap yards, and yard sales, if you're willing to do a bit of cleaning.

As for my contacts, I'd first need to verify which ones I still have, then work backwards from there. It will likely take a few weeks, before I have definitive answers for that. I can show you the locations, most fitting with your preferences, before I go and start work. Or inquire about it at least. The guard work might be some time out. Scarcity I can imagine, have already lined six things up for me to do, and are just waiting for me to show up. It seems to fit her character well, so to speak."

"I will follow, and look at tools. Maybe I have hid some like that, somewhere?"

"If you have, I can imagine time have rendered them near unusable. Not everything lasts as well, as the log you provided did. Though of course, it never hurts to check."

If all seemed ready to go outside, Rosa would listen to the criteria the siblings would set up, when it came to tools, whilst looking around to make sure all windows and such were closed, then direct them to the door. They may as well get started on today, yes?

Before stepping out fully though, he'd try and get Lin's attention. Something he had in mind, he wished to speak with her about.

"I imagine I'm not the only one, that she might be waiting for, considering your powers. You might have to ask yourself, what you'd be willing to do, if you need financing."

He'd continue to go out, and lock the door, lest she had something to say in private, before they exited the house.

=====================================================================

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Hey, I don't mind learning from others. Done so plenty of times before. This here's just gonna be the first time, that I learn from a scroll. Most teacher on dragon magic, does so in person. We tend to last longer than our paper, so it just seems easier. And this here being from abroad? That could show a few new perspectives, that I hadn't thought off, or heard before. Maybe something that might even help in teaching Charir. That'd be neat. Thanks for this."

She'd beam with a big grin, towards Ruby. This were actually pretty cool. She had to adjust how she read things, to make it fit well, but she'd get hang of it eventually. Everything to help her little friend.

"It sounds like you have a good plan for how to teach Charir. I bet if we give it our all, he'll be able to understand at least the basics, in no time. Won't that be fun? You won't have to constantly translate, and I can tell him happy things directly. Ooh, it's gonna be fun!

You have an idea of a place where we can sit and start on it? Should we just wander into the living room, have a sit, and then take it from there? And do we need some things for this, beyond the scrolls? Like something to write on, a board, something like that? We can make a proper class out of it and everything, hehe.

I dunno if you learn things differently though. Round here, we tend to have to sit around, read stuff, and then ask if we don't get something. A chalk board is used a lot too. You do the same thing? Cause I could get a chalk board pretty easily. This town have a lot of random stuff, from what I hear."

Regardless of the path they'd take with it, Leviathan were excited, and enthusiastic about getting started. And if she had to get a board, she'd go and get one. A portable one, since she couldn't just nick a big one off of the school wall, but still, a fairly nice one, shouldn't be too hard to get hold of. And it'd allow her to get them something for the lunch break. Like a proper school. Wouldn't that be fun? She'd never been in one, when she were a whelp of course, but she had a short stint as a teacher once. She learned a lot of things there.

For instance, she learned that tying unruly students to a flag pole, were considered inappropriate behavior. As were it to call the principal a spineless softie, for telling her that. But anyway, she had still learned things, before getting chased out of that town for... Related, and unrelated reasons.

=====================================================================

 

@Catpone Cerberus

"Considering this assassin, seems to have had a rare parasite, to use as a poison against changelings, from a country as far away as Neighpon, I'm not ruling anything out. But if kobolds aren't a normal sight here, or there, it could just be a concentrated form, of a generic poison. Either way, it's best that you didn't get poked, and found out.

It's... Disturbing, to hear about one from your own world though. It sounds rather nasty. As does your ah... Experience, regarding Sheez not rushing to your aid. I can't imagine what it must've been like, bleeding out with injuries like that."

She'd give her condolences in a way, whilst cringing notably. Likely at the thought of the kobold laying around, chopped up like that. It seemed she had managed, but it were certainly not ideal, that much were sure.

"In any event, if we don't have her to worry about in this way though, and the assassin presumably, are just trying to get at you, with more generic means, we will need to thread cautiously. And stay away fromt he windows, remember that. It's rather easy to strike somepony. Even through a glass window. And I'm gonna have to assume that you avoiding getting hit by these things, might start to get on your assailants nerves. Enough to perhaps go more direct.

*sigh* but with that one still in the air, and Sheez just seemingly out there, we need some kind of plan of attack here, so to speak. Ideally I'd just have us hunker down for a few days, and see if things would blow over, but it might just make us sitting ducks too, considering our rough location is known now.

In your opinions, what would you think would be the best plan at this? I have a preference, but I must admit, that this is not a situation I've ever found myself in, and so I'm not entirely sure if my suggestion is a good one, or ludicrous."

It were primarily Trox and Sheska that she'd ask, as they were more familiar with one half of the equation. That being Sheez. They were also from a harsher worlds, by all things considered, and had likely been through a lot. As thus, they might have some experience, with situations like this, and could guide them better in this endeavor.

It wasn't exactly what Stargazer had wanted, but if it were more efficient, and safe, to do something else, than she'd much prefer to do that. The Coastal Guard were a more active guard regiment, than the royal ones, so she were more used to a work day, involving some degree of weapon usage. Or at least more physical activity, than standing about all day.

The opinion of the other residents of this room, were more than welcome too, of course. The more they communicated, the better they'd be able to work together, to get the better on this assassin, and Sheez, before either got the jump on them.

=================================================================

 

@GingerLightning

The collective sigh of dreamy changelings, imagining what it were like between the two lovebirds, were both notable, and came with a wave of lovey-dovey emotions to boot. They were performers, and tended to really get into things, and the way he spoke about his beloved, certainly helped getting them to a fawning stage. Cheshire being no different, as she were radiating a fair bit of positive vibes too.

"Awh, aren't you just adorable? Can't wait to meet the mare, that stole your heart away.

I did suggest the theater too, and it should be mentioned, we are gonna paint. We're just fixing it up first. No point in painting, if there's still holes, right? But a nice garden setting sure is lovely too. None of those here, unfortunately. Las Pegasus have many things, but as a cloud city, we don't have vegetation. Except for some potted plants here and there.

That said, we didn't always live up here. We had a hive down in the forest below, and with a bit of cleaning up, the clearing above ground, should be nice and usable. Just need to trim the wilderness a bit. Shouldn't be a big issue.

We can go down and look, soon as you feel like it. I'm sure your doggo wanna go and feel some regular ground under his paws again, don't you little guy?"

The pup would lift his head, and look up at the changeling queen, beaming down towards him. He weren't sure what she were on about, but he heard the mention of a clearing, so that meant a forest... Dangerous, if they met other timber wolves, but Meiko did like the idea of smelling around a regular forest again for a bit. This town were interesting too, but it were strange, to walk around, on something that wasn't ground. He didn't understand all the magic put into this thing, so to him, it were just something he tried not to focus too much about. Though he had poked his head into quite a few clouds by now, and gotten confused, staggering backwards.

So thinking this were a good idea, he's give off a single bark towards the changeling, and wag his tail.

"Awh, aren't you just an adorable little scamp?"

She'd pet him, and feeling quite giddy about running her hoof across his rough bark skin, while he just enjoyed getting pet. Normally he didn't just let anyone do this, but this one got along well with his friend, and they had given him good food, so it were okay, yes?

"Oh yeah, that's another thing, that you don't know of, as a hiveless, Ginger. We could give you a tour of the old hive too like this. I'm pretty sure it haven't been overtaken by bears and badgers yet. And if it has, we'll just have them sit still and behave for a bit."

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

Light could not say no to the beautiful mare Infront of him.

" I can't say no to you... Especially with that beautiful smile of yours.... And besides.... What could possibly...*gulp*.. go wrong?"  He worries.

He'd walk near them and have a bit of a chat while heading to their next destination.

" I don't mind you kitsune... That is until you get mischievous... " Light has a mix of curiosity and fear with them as hes never been never a young kitsune before. Usually their protected by their parents and are very rare to be seen. At the back of his head he knows that this children is surely being guarded and inst unattended by a guard. Especially royalty.

" Hmmm... You kitsunes... Are very protective of their young correct?... They must trust this place to leave you here..." 

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

The cat remembered Floral and her relaxing pats from earlier. So it would seem that the world felt smaller when everyone knew each other, at least among those present. She was slowly taking a liking to this filly, seeing her as someone who could be trustworthy. For now, she continued purring, sitting right next the filly’s leg with her back straightened out. Peaks took notice, and although she was happy to see her feline friend was getting along well, she could only image Omen and her friends might have done a lot more exploring the day before if the town was suddenly feeling much more connected to the new group of faces. 

On 2022-11-10 at 7:21 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Scarcity, and this is my daughter, Floral Phantasma."

A few words might be mumbled, in case there were yet other customers, as it were not known that Scarcity did have a daughter. Not except for a few, who had been sworn to secrecy, until she were ready for things to be said publicly.

Floral would wave up at the mare, then go back to petting Munchkin.

"I must say, I have rather been looking forward to going here. A few meetings where I have had some delightful cinnamon rolls and such, from this bakery, but time can be such a rarity to come by at times. Took me far longer than I wished, to get here.

Might I order three cinnamon rolls, seven buns, and a larger cake of your choosing? We are not picky eaters, so I will be interested in seeing your suggestion."

“Of course! I’ve just got a fresh batch of buns and rolls out of the oven. Now, for your cake… There’s this delectable Frozen Mango Torte, one of our bestsellers, though I’ve been told a few times that it isn’t exactly how ponies imagined when they think about cakes. Sweet as can be with a crunch in every bite! Let me get your orders for you, Miss Scarcity.”

“It looks like the assorted eastern steamed buns interest you! I can get you a platter with twelve buns in it with three types of buns. Each order comes with condensed milk as a dipping sauce!”

The baker started off with the three cinnamon rolls and seven buns. Those were the kinds that sell easily throughout the day, so there is definitely no shortage. Then, she returned to the back room to grab a box of the frozen cake from the freezer, as well as a small bag of carrot balls from earlier. If this was where Hammond would part ways with her, at least he’ll be going home with a bag of treats. It was the least Peaks could do. 

Once she got the order bundled up and ready to go, she would hear out the mare’s request. An oddly large one, probably close to something that would normally accompany a catering service. A small bakery like hers likely would need more prep time, even with the extra help she’s got, who were away gathering ingredients at the time. This one will require some serious consideration, but Peaks knows she couldn’t turn down a chance to turn a profit. Ms. Scarcity sounded like a mare of high class; brunch and meals after that? Might be a good idea if it makes the bakery more reputable.

On 2022-11-10 at 7:21 AM, Blitz Boom said:

There is a few weeks to go, and while I do have options, I believe this place would do rather well, in providing, if given the correct degree of preparation time. I believe two hundred and fifty assorted buns, twenty five breads, and around fifty-three cakes should suffice. The buns earliest, of course. The cakes are for after the brunch."

This were a small place yes, but Scarcity had tried others, with varying degrees of success, and she heard well of this one. As such, she'd see if Peaks were one that were up to the task, by seeing if she were able and willing, to try her hoof at this order. If she were, and the quality were there, she'd definitely keep this one in mind, for future things. As well as letting some words slip, about where the baked goods had come from, of course. She were not cruel, and wanted obscurity for this one, after all. Not if she did well.

Besides, it would prove an investment into more interest in Old Town, which she did have a vested interest in, for various reasons. Most of them being lucrative.

"I am well aware that it might prove taxing to do, in time and effort, for a smaller establishment, such as this. I assure you that I will compensate you for your work accordingly too. In writing, if you'd prefer. It is a delightful way to remove a degree of uncertainty, in a larger deal like this."

“Here you go! You came right on time for the fresh batch out the oven. I didn’t want to leave Hammond with nothing, so I included a bag of carrot balls with your order, free of charge. It wouldn’t be right for me to ask you to pay for something that isn’t on the menu.

“Now on to other matters, that is a very large order, Miss Scarcity, but the bakery has had some experience with supplying parties and gatherings. I believe we can accommodate your order, or at least part of it. Assorted buns shouldn’t be a problem with ample preparation and time, but the cakes will require some clarification. If I may ask, do you have specific sizes and flavors in mind? I’d like to get an idea of what I could expect so preparations can be made accordingly. I guess I should also ask the same about your 25 orders of bread. Having this information in writing will definitely help.” 

On 2022-11-10 at 7:21 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"I know of a place where we can seek out tools, if that is what you wish for. Though it will depend on your desired price range. There are all from high end, to reused tools, depending on what you want to spend on them, and how discernable of an eye you have. You'd be surprised what can be found at scrap yards, and yard sales, if you're willing to do a bit of cleaning.

As for my contacts, I'd first need to verify which ones I still have, then work backwards from there. It will likely take a few weeks, before I have definitive answers for that. I can show you the locations, most fitting with your preferences, before I go and start work. Or inquire about it at least. The guard work might be some time out. Scarcity I can imagine, have already lined six things up for me to do, and are just waiting for me to show up. It seems to fit her character well, so to speak."

"I will follow, and look at tools. Maybe I have hid some like that, somewhere?"

"If you have, I can imagine time have rendered them near unusable. Not everything lasts as well, as the log you provided did. Though of course, it never hurts to check."

If all seemed ready to go outside, Rosa would listen to the criteria the siblings would set up, when it came to tools, whilst looking around to make sure all windows and such were closed, then direct them to the door. They may as well get started on today, yes?

Before stepping out fully though, he'd try and get Lin's attention. Something he had in mind, he wished to speak with her about.

"I imagine I'm not the only one, that she might be waiting for, considering your powers. You might have to ask yourself, what you'd be willing to do, if you need financing."

He'd continue to go out, and lock the door, lest she had something to say in private, before they exited the house.

“I’m not looking for anything costly or eye-catching. Just enough to get by without looking too grand. Let me worry about the cleaning; I’ve got to make it look appealing at least. The folks back home will want something practical, and going by what we gathered for your home, I guess carving tools would be a good place to start.”

“Except you don’t know exactly what will make a good gift, right?”

*sigh* “…yeah. Now, about what you said about her... What's on your mind, Rosa?”

Lin prided herself in knowing about, or at least being aware, of the things that would catch her interest, making sure she’d have something to say about it that didn’t boil down to “I don’t know.” Except, this was one of those times she came ill-prepared. Even with her grandfather knowing a thing or two about the ins and outs of craft working, she didn’t think to go to him for advice. Seemed like recent events were going by so quickly that she didn’t factor in every possible event and how she’d tackle them. At the very least, there’d be some time to think about it while they were going about their day. Though what Rosa said about what she's willing to do. It was ominous, but Lin valued what her friend had to say, and so she opened herself to the possibility of going down an unexpected path.

“Suppose there's nothing more to be done, we’ll follow your lead. Where we go is in your hooves.”

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

"I'd love to see your old hive, It has been a long time since I've been in a hive. Makes me think back to an early argument with my fiancée about several jagged rocks, "odd colored" mosses, "strange goo", and worst of all the "weird smell" in my bedroom. It was a stupid argument really, but we figured something out. We figured out so much together since then.... It makes me so giddy!!" He did a happy trot, chittering to himself.

"I never seen a proper Changeling Hive before, Brother never let me visit our mom's hive for some reason. I wanna see it! " Ginger giggled a bit before she started to make an odd noise that was clearly a sound of amusement, it didn't sound like any sound a changeling or pony would make, but rather an uncomfortable mix of both until it stopped.

"There's a good reason you aren't allowed over there. That reason being that our siblings would kill you. They have always been aggressive towards anything pony related. Just the scent of a pony on you is enough to get your wings shredded. Actually being half pony would surely get you ripped limb from limb. They rejected mom when she tried to return too..."He sounded a tad defensive and protective.

"What do you mean they rejected mama? "Ginger asked, her smile was switched to a look of concern and confusion.

"It's extremely rare, but there are times that hives will reject their queens...I'm not certain why most hives that reject their queens do so, But she was rejected because she smelt like a pony. Last time I saw our mother she was looking really rough. There hasn't really been anywhere safe for her to stay though...I want her to have somewhere to recover and I'd love for her to attend my wedding as well. After all I do want my future wife to meet my mother." Howl's emotions shifted from a wild, blood-boiling rage, to a deep, somber sadness. Yet on the outside he looked as cool and tranquil as a completely undisturbed lake on a moonlit night, only rarely curling his lip as he spoke.

"Maybe she could stay here!"Ginger just sprung to the idea.

She turned to face Cheshire eagerly."Could our mother stay here too?! It's been so long since I've seen her! "

"That's a bit much to ask, Cheese weevil..."Howl gently spoke to his younger sister, not wanting to risk her overstepping any boundaries.

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Kujamih

On 2022-11-10 at 11:41 AM, Kujamih said:

" I can't say no to you... Especially with that beautiful smile of yours.... And besides.... What could possibly...*gulp*.. go wrong?"  He worries.

"Yey! Fluffies get food too."

Shark were ecstatic. Her tail literally started to wag a little, just from the sheer amount of giddiness that she felt, and she started to flutter about in the air. Today was already another good day, up here in the dry world.

On 2022-11-10 at 11:41 AM, Kujamih said:

" I don't mind you kitsune... That is until you get mischievous... " Light has a mix of curiosity and fear with them as hes never been never a young kitsune before. Usually their protected by their parents and are very rare to be seen. At the back of his head he knows that this children is surely being guarded and inst unattended by a guard. Especially royalty.

" Hmmm... You kitsunes... Are very protective of their young correct?... They must trust this place to leave you here..." 

The siblings would take a small step back, side by side, and looking at the pony cautiously. They were alone here, far from the usual protection, that were given to young kitsune, and kits, and this one felt strange. Not like the other ponies around him, but like something were there. Something... Greater, in a sense. Kitsune were very magically aware, due to them being powerful magic users themselves, and so they could often feel out something odd. Light might be a regular pony now. Perhaps even truthfully. But at the very least, something would be lingering over him, that they'd still sense. Though that said, they had no idea what it were. For all they knew, he had a weird magical deodorant on him, or were often in contact with unicorns, and thus, had traces on him. Wasn't like they had much expertise with ponies before this, so they didn't know better.

"The elders asked around town, who would want to send their kits to a mixed race school, to try and connect more with the outside. Mother said she would speak to us about it, and then volunteered us. She said it were important. A great honor. We were made ready, but this place is very weird. Filled with strange creatures.

Mother wanted some guards to come too, but the elders said no. That it wouldn't show the right thing to the Equestrians. Or to Discord. We were told that we could meet him somewhere in this town. He's an important figure, the stories say."

It wasn't generally well known, due to their secrecy, but kitsune had a fairly good relation with the lord of chaos. As tricksters themselves, they had a respect for the lord of chaos, who in turn, found them to be fascinating, albeit boringly traditional creatures. But since ponies were far more boring and normal, he had a greater interest in messing with them, rather than go abroad to try wits with the kitsune. The fact they could get to meet Discord, were one reason why the siblings had agreed to go here, but the importance were also a factor. If this went well, then as their mother pointed out, they'd be doing something great for their kind. Not just themselves. That sort of thing, would matter further in their lives, if they wanted a strong position in the village.

Shark didn't get much of this, but she didn't have to either, she figured. It were feeding time now. Learning time could come later, yes? That is what a school were, if she understood the many talks right.

Since things seemed in order, she'd start to flutter towards the cafeteria. if the others got too far behind, she'd do a loop, and return to them, then fly on again. For a creature who had neither legs nor wings, less than a week ago, she adapted to them both rather well.

As for the cafeteria, it were a fair bit more filled than yesterday, but there'd be a corner table they could grab. Seemed to be a bit isolated, but it gave a good view over things, and the kitsune didn't mind it being a bit more isolated. They'd prefer to keep others at a distance, and learn from observing, first and foremost. Somewhat akin to cats, although they did not purr.

=====================================================================

 

 @EQ_Theta

On 2022-11-11 at 1:16 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Of course! I’ve just got a fresh batch of buns and rolls out of the oven. Now, for your cake… There’s this delectable Frozen Mango Torte, one of our bestsellers, though I’ve been told a few times that it isn’t exactly how ponies imagined when they think about cakes. Sweet as can be with a crunch in every bite! Let me get your orders for you, Miss Scarcity.”

“It looks like the assorted eastern steamed buns interest you! I can get you a platter with twelve buns in it with three types of buns. Each order comes with condensed milk as a dipping sauce!”

"What a delightful looking dish, those steamed buns. I can scarcely remember when last I indulged myself in a meal with condensed milk, but today seems a wondrous day for trying things. Twelve buns as recommended too yes, if you'd please. And the Torte. It sounds rather refreshing."

She hadn't presented Floral with a torte before, but it would be a good experience for her, to try one. And it did look rather delectable, as did many things in here. For a small bakery, the quality did not seem to be skimped out on. A good sign, in her professional opinion. Might be a different profession, but they both included attention to detail, and quality, so in a sense, they were somewhat comparable, in her opinion.

The order they would leave with here, would be somewhat large, but they were four creatures to eat. It would be fine. Brick were still at home, doing his morning exercises, so they were also in charge in bringing him something to eat. He had not been thrilled they were leaving alone, but he would listen, as he were told that they were perfectly safe, and that he should stay put.

On 2022-11-11 at 1:16 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Here you go! You came right on time for the fresh batch out the oven. I didn’t want to leave Hammond with nothing, so I included a bag of carrot balls with your order, free of charge. It wouldn’t be right for me to ask you to pay for something that isn’t on the menu.

“Now on to other matters, that is a very large order, Miss Scarcity, but the bakery has had some experience with supplying parties and gatherings. I believe we can accommodate your order, or at least part of it. Assorted buns shouldn’t be a problem with ample preparation and time, but the cakes will require some clarification. If I may ask, do you have specific sizes and flavors in mind? I’d like to get an idea of what I could expect so preparations can be made accordingly. I guess I should also ask the same about your 25 orders of bread. Having this information in writing will definitely help.” 

Hammond's ears perked, as he heard there were carrot balls. He had to remember to count them, and bring her treats back in return then. It were how things went, far as he understood it. Something for something. That is at least how most things his master said, seemed to be, when she talked with others. Making deals. Getting something, and giving them something in return. And so far, he had not been told he were wrong, when he did this.

"How nice to meet a mare that are a stickler for details. If you could procure some papers, I would be happy to fill out an exact order."

And she would. In flowing text, she'd write the assorted buns, and then the exact number of the various cakes that she could see on offer, which left a good degree of variation in tastes, sizes, and difficulty. The same would be the case with the bread, though she'd limit her options there to five variations, and then have five of each. That should suffice in her opinion, considering there were other things to eat as well. Though she'd be merciful, and not put an emphasis on the cakes that she knew, were harder to keep in a good state, for say, a day or two, in preparation. Some could likely do more, if properly refrigerated, but she would assume the cakes to be done within a few days, if Peaks had some sense of pride in her work. For freshness, of course.

This would be something she could have done faster at a caterer, that had multiple kitchens, and hundreds of bakers working, but Scarcity were ne who liked to see the potential in others, and if there were some, both reward, and make use of it, in the future. Having a favored bakery would be a delightful thing, and more traffic to Old Town, would mean more would eye the opportunity to move here, and start more. They'd need to purchase, or rent the houses for that, and she had ownership of quite a few. Through a sub-contractor, of course, though it were perfectly legal. As were it for her to show some degree of preference, to those whom she liked, which could help her get a certain degree of stable income, from those renting or buying storefronts from her, as well as those she put vendors in contact with, to gain required base ingredients, and materials.

This were all years down the line of course, but Scarcity often laid out plans spanning years, and working methodically to get it done correctly, rather than rushed.

As for the order, she'd sign the paper when done, with her signature, before delivering the paper and pen back.

"There we go. I will have a proper contract drafted when we get home, and have it delivered with a more formal signature. A proper contract, if you will. If you are in agreement with what is written, please sign, and then send, the copy back to me. Ah, and I will also send a paper where you can write down your estimated cost of lost business, due to what I will assume, to be a focus on the order presented. It wouldn't do to have you lose out on full days worth of profits like that, without some compensation for that, included in the order, hm? I am not an unreasonable mare after all."

On 2022-11-11 at 1:16 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“I’m not looking for anything costly or eye-catching. Just enough to get by without looking too grand. Let me worry about the cleaning; I’ve got to make it look appealing at least. The folks back home will want something practical, and going by what we gathered for your home, I guess carving tools would be a good place to start.”

“Except you don’t know exactly what will make a good gift, right?”

*sigh* “…yeah. Now, about what you said about her... What's on your mind, Rosa?”

"There is nothing on my mind currently, yet I am stating a fact. She is likely to consider your skillset valuable, and thus, will hold work ready for you. To live, one have to work after all, and it is not without reason, that she have shown you, that she can pay well, for services provided. She's expecting you to remember her, if you are in need of bits, or something else. I am saying that if it comes to that, ask yourself where your limits goes, as she might eventually try and see how much she can ask of you, before you begin to push back. Physically, or morally, I do not know. Potentially both.

Now in regards to tools, from what you say, I'd suggest we then go to the local scrap yard. It is at the outskirts of an area to the left of Old Town, to be less of an eyesore to the general public. It's primarily a place for reusing old metal and such, but if one gets there before, they are often willing to part with things, for a set amount of bits. They are paid hourly by the government, with this being a viable, and legal, side income for them. It also works as a way to teach others about recycling, rather than just cause waste from throwing things out, that could be useful to others."

On 2022-11-11 at 1:16 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Suppose there's nothing more to be done, we’ll follow your lead. Where we go is in your hooves.”

It would be a fairly simply trip. The scrap yard in Canterlot were not massive, compared to places like Deltrot, as most were sent out of town, but it were still a sizable area, with scrap in several sections. Some for bronze, others pure iron, steel, etc. There were then also assorted, for things that were mixed, and had to be disassembled, as well as those where non-metal parts, had to be taken off, before going to the piles, and be prepared to be reforged. They used a large, magical forge, in the midst of this sizable area, to reforge things into pure bars of the various metals, that would then be sent off, to other places, where there'd be a need for them. The magical forge, meant there were no smoke emanating from this place, clouding up things, so it were relatively hidden. The piles had to be at max a certain height, due to it not being allowed to tower up, and mar things too, so the larger piles, would general get targeted first, by the cranes, and workers, dealing with this, to make room for new things. Unless they had an order, about getting say, more bronze in. It were rare, but it happened.

All in all, things were very orderly here. As for size scale? The area were roughly ten times the size of Rosa's house. Not as big as in Deltrot, but this were the capitol. It generally weren't something they wanted to spend a lot of space on.

They'd be approached as they got near, by a pony in a hard hat, who'd halt them, and point towards a stack in various sizes.

"Security requires that you wear one of these, to enter the premises. It's rare, but things do fall down sometimes, and a head injury is a severe thing."

=====================================================================

 

@GingerLightning

"A hiveless queen? You don't see a lot of those. Usually that only happens when a queen raises her hive one way, and then does a complete turn. Did your mom raise her hive to hate ponies? If so... Well, that's kinda one of those hives, that makes it hard for our kind, to live with ponies. They're the sort, where all the bad stereotypes comes from. If she hadn't, then it's an extremely rare case. I've only heard of one like that, and that were ages ago.

I guess there's gonna be plenty of time to ask though, yeah? Hive Cheshire is open for every changeling in need. Queen or drone, they're welcome. Long as she follow house rules.

That means no fighting on the premises, and no kidnappings. We got a good reputation here, and I intend to keep it that way."

There seemed to be a bit of nervousness around, from a few of her changelings, as she said this. Understandable enough really. Taking in a hiveless, or a wounded one from another hie, that needed time to recuperate, and sneak back home, were one thing. A full fledged queen though, from a violent hive no less? That were something else.

"Feels like there's some nervousness, and I get it. But when I left my mothers hive, I set out to have a hive of kindness, song, and laughter. We've reached out to everypony else that needed it, and if we stop here, we'd be hypocrites.

You can let your mother know, next time you see her, that we'll have a guest room prepared for her, and plenty of food to go around. There's a fair few rooms to pick from, that we can make ready, since we all use the same. As a queen, I figure she'll like the big one though. We can't help with her hive though, probably. We're known to mingle with ponies, so we'd be probably hated too, and I don't get along with that many. Small and unimportant hive to the council, and all that. But I know some hiveless here and there. A few friendly ears, that might try and speak on her behalf, and see what's what. Maybe in time, there'll be something that can be done. And if not, the hiveless can probably help her start a new one. Usually hives gets started by a changeling from the main hive, leaving with the queen to be, and start the first batch of eggs.

A hive without queen, is not something that'll last long. They'll disperse, or get taken over by a new one, looking to start her own. Probably anyway. Usually what happens, when a queen gets killed, and have no heir. Cause without a queen, there's no new eggs. So no new generations, to replace those who're gonna be lost. King Thorax is gonna be faced with this in a few years too, if he doesn't combine his hive, with that of a queen.

Anyway, that got a bit heavy, didn't it? What you say we go send a letter to your mom, and then go have a field trip, eh?"

Cheshire would do a pirouette, and seamlessly change into her pony form. A bit of performance and flair perhaps, but y'know... Look at who they were speaking with. She were a performer at heart, and sometimes just couldn't help herself.

"Wait, the big room? You mean yours?"

Bling would speak up, having thought of something, in the speech about rooms and such.

"Yup. I don't use it a lot, so it'll be fine. I should probably put the portrait of King Rasputin away before that though... Might be creepy for her, to look up, and see him staring down."

Edited November 12, 2022 by Blitz Boom

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

 Light would take his order and casually sit down with the kitsunes.

" .... Ahmm.. this is the only sit that's available..." Which wasn't.

"... That I think Shark would be interested in.. ahmm" he blushingly said.

A bit embarrassed, Light would try to shrug it off and make some casual talk with the Kitsunes.

" It's nice what you're doing for your kind... Very admirable... Although I'm sure it's more on meeting discord on your part... But still..."

 

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-11-13 at 5:06 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"How nice to meet a mare that are a stickler for details. If you could procure some papers, I would be happy to fill out an exact order."

And she would. In flowing text, she'd write the assorted buns, and then the exact number of the various cakes that she could see on offer, which left a good degree of variation in tastes, sizes, and difficulty. The same would be the case with the bread, though she'd limit her options there to five variations, and then have five of each. That should suffice in her opinion, considering there were other things to eat as well. Though she'd be merciful, and not put an emphasis on the cakes that she knew, were harder to keep in a good state, for say, a day or two, in preparation. Some could likely do more, if properly refrigerated, but she would assume the cakes to be done within a few days, if Peaks had some sense of pride in her work. For freshness, of course.

“Thank you very much for your compliment! I’ve got my supplies right here, and an order form, Miss. It’s been a while since I used one of these, mostly since the local restaurants already had these made long ago. Without any new businesses coming for the morning rush, it’s all the same clients every day, not that I don’t like it, so to speak. It helps keep the bakery running.”

Peaks put down a sheet and pen, the former containing a table where Scarcity can adder the specifics of her order. The two hundred and fifty buns of various types were already a given, and the mare can get a taste of some of them that came with the condensed milk dip. Just as was explained to Omen earlier, the varieties Scarcity would get are the plain and steamed, fried, and stuffed buns, the latter having red bean paste. The options for bread were nicely split into 5 varieties, which wouldn’t be a problem as well. After all, this was their main product; together with the buns, this part shouldn’t be too worrisome. 

The cakes were the part that, in all honesty, scared Stiff Peaks. Having a batch of tortes prepared every few or so days wasn’t going to be a problem since the taste and shape of that cake could stay as is as long as it is frozen. Refrigerated cakes were about as good as things could go, and it’s a good thing the bakery has its refrigeration units. Once the details were in, the baker would review the content to see if she got it down right. It was mostly a formality to ensure both she and Scarcity agree on the written details, even if repeating things verbally was sometimes seen as unnecessary. It would also give Scarcity a chance to change things before finalization.

On 2022-11-13 at 5:06 AM, Blitz Boom said:

As for the order, she'd sign the paper when done, with her signature, before delivering the paper and pen back.

"There we go. I will have a proper contract drafted when we get home, and have it delivered with a more formal signature. A proper contract, if you will. If you are in agreement with what is written, please sign, and then send, the copy back to me. Ah, and I will also send a paper where you can write down your estimated cost of lost business, due to what I will assume, to be a focus on the order presented. It wouldn't do to have you lose out on full days worth of profits like that, without some compensation for that, included in the order, hm? I am not an unreasonable mare after all."

“All right, let me see. For your buns, we’ve got two hundred and fifty assorted pieces, and for your bread and cakes, those will come in twenty five and fifty three pieces, respectively. I am a little bit lost on the cakes though. Do you have a preference on sizes and types? I admit, this bakery doesn’t have that big of a selection of cakes compared to bread. We’ve got nine different flavors of cakes, including the frozen mango torte you ordered, so that’ll give you about six orders per flavor aside from one, though those cakes come in different sizes. Just to be certain, are we talking about regular-sized cakes like the torte or Petit Fours?”

“I hope this doesn’t come off as an irritation, Miss Scarcity. I’d like to take on this order, but I’d like to make sure it’s done right. While we’re at this, may I know where I can reach you once we enter into this agreement?”

On 2022-11-13 at 5:06 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"There is nothing on my mind currently, yet I am stating a fact. She is likely to consider your skillset valuable, and thus, will hold work ready for you. To live, one have to work after all, and it is not without reason, that she have shown you, that she can pay well, for services provided. She's expecting you to remember her, if you are in need of bits, or something else. I am saying that if it comes to that, ask yourself where your limits goes, as she might eventually try and see how much she can ask of you, before you begin to push back. Physically, or morally, I do not know. Potentially both.

Now in regards to tools, from what you say, I'd suggest we then go to the local scrap yard. It is at the outskirts of an area to the left of Old Town, to be less of an eyesore to the general public. It's primarily a place for reusing old metal and such, but if one gets there before, they are often willing to part with things, for a set amount of bits. They are paid hourly by the government, with this being a viable, and legal, side income for them. It also works as a way to teach others about recycling, rather than just cause waste from throwing things out, that could be useful to others."

“Hmm… I wouldn’t know if I would find myself going to Ms. Scarcity for work if I’m going to be busy back home, but I’m considering it based on what she could give. I just hope I wouldn’t be desperate enough to go to her, like having no reason to go back to the forest. Maybe I might ask Uddo for work if he is willing. His family runs a shop, but it looks like it’s just them and Shade. Perhaps they could use an extra pair of claws?”

“Transportation work might be enough, but please don’t go doing something you’ll regret, Lin. You’ve already gone searching for dark magic, and I shudder to think about how successful the next time around because you got what you wanted the last time it happened.”

“I’ll be careful, and if it helps, I’ll go to you, Rosa, and Omen for advice. I value what you all have to say, and knowing my lesson from the last time, I should get several opinions before deciding. I suppose there’s no use worrying about that for now, so I’m looking forward to seeing what this scrap yard has to offer. Maybe I can also see how they recycle things here.”

 

Sen was happy with this, though he’d still keep an eye on Lin on the off-chance she’d go off the deep end and search for something out of desperation. Answers, revenge, anything that could be considered dangerous. Even if Scarcity were to go slow, Lin’s mind may be more malleable if she is experiencing strong negative emotions. She may claim to value knowledge, but having it and using it are two different things.  Now for the tools, this one need led the siblings to an odd place, one that Sen didn’t encounter the last time he passed by this part of the old town.

This was a scrap yard? A place for reusing old items and other things that still had some value. It was a good idea, though the sight was rather unexpectedly… unlike the rest of the town? Back home, the recycling just happened whenever and wherever it could, no need for another location. If this place had something that Lin could give to the craftworkers at home, it’ll do just fine. Maybe a nice tool could be hiding within the yard’s rough exterior. Metalworking tools might be more likely, but there’s a good chance someone threw away a serviceable tool for woodworkers.

On 2022-11-13 at 5:06 AM, Blitz Boom said:

All in all, things were very orderly here. As for size scale? The area were roughly ten times the size of Rosa's house. Not as big as in Deltrot, but this were the capitol. It generally weren't something they wanted to spend a lot of space on.

They'd be approached as they got near, by a pony in a hard hat, who'd halt them, and point towards a stack in various sizes.

"Security requires that you wear one of these, to enter the premises. It's rare, but things do fall down sometimes, and a head injury is a severe thing."

Now, someone came up to the group and advised them to wear the hard hats. Safety is understandable, and Lin didn’t have trouble using one, even if it was rather loosely sitting on her head because of her horn stumps. It was Sen who had more troubles with his hard hat hanging off one of his horns.

“Uh… I think I could use some help here. Are there any hats that have holes?”

[Catpone Cerberus 23,598]

@Blitz Boom
"The living room is probably the best place, though it needs some dusting first, because I haven't used it for...well, ever actually, I don't get visitors and I don't personally spend time in the house." this probably wasn't a surprise since the entire house was covered in dust "Not that dust bothers me, when you grow up breathing in volcanic ash, this kind of dust is comparatively like fresh air." and that was ignoring that being a dragon, she also breathed out smoke in regular basis, while living in a cave, so bad air quality wasn't exactly a problem to her kind. 

"For teaching, we don't do anything specific, because as stated before, we don't have any institutions or other organized efforts, this includes education, there is a reason why I am highly educated among my kind while being slightly above average at best if compared to ponies, or even local dragons as a whole, most of our kind can't even read, in fact, most probably don't know what reading is." Ruby stated "But when it comes to Charir, I believe that at least for now we are fine with with what we have, our mother taught us verbally, so that is what Charir is familiar with, besides, writing things down for him won't help much before he learns to read." 

"But if you feel that you could use something to write down to while I help you to translate, I have plenty of normal paper." 

Ruby's demeanor the whole time was...unique, she was seemingly cold and uninterested as always, and there wasn't necessarily anything new in the mix, rather, something was missing, especially relating to Leviathan's enthusiasm, because while she didn't share the smiles and energy, she also didn't show the usual disdain for it, she also seemed less tense, though that could be connected to the fact that this was her home. 

She looked towards Charir, then back at Leviathan "In full truth, the only thing I believe could cause trouble for Charir is asking help, our mother did not like failure, and she believed in harsh punishments, the reward for success was to not be hurt, and even that wasn't always true, I had as many if not more broken bones during the few years under her care than I've had in the over 100 years since, and that's just the bones, and I wasn't a runt and male." 

When in the living room, Ruby would give another scroll from the bag to Charir, and explain him something while pointing at few spots on it, if Leviathan looked, she'd see it was similar-ish to something you would give a baby to learn words, there was what one could assume to be the alphabet on top, and under it there were crudely drawn pictures with words under it, pictures of things like, a dragon, a cave, mother, things like that, thought the theme was quite different from what for example ponies would have, as instead of wholesome things like friends, cute animals and candy, there was pictures of blood, bones and fire. This all of course in their native writing.

She'd then take the remaining scroll from the bag and go to Leviathan.

---------------------------------------

Sear and Chega didn't much react to Trox's mention of his experience, mainly because they had already heard about it before, but the short story of the parasite made especially Chega uncomfortable, partly because even here kobolds weren't immune to epidemics, and while it was rare that it was something like that specifically, idea of mass death made her uncomfortable, as it should. The mention of slavery of course didn't help, but it was somehow lot less...shocking, since with the little the two had heard, slavery seemed like the lesser evil in all of it.
Trox meanwhile kinda just shrugged at harpoon's condolences, he didn't say it since it wasn't important, but for him the whole thing wasn't as bad as one would assume, because as he had said to Onache when they had talked about the same topic, he was unconscious most of that time, and when he wasn't, he was either in shock or drugged so heavily that he wasn't really conscious either. 

When it came to plan of action, Sear was actually the first one to talk "We'll at least stay here, I can keep us two safe lot easier here than out on the open." Trox continued from that "That is the best approach in current situation, preferably we'd go somewhere with only one way in and trap the way in with enough firepower to vaporize a building while also carrying weapons ourselves, but that isn't really an option here, not that you probably would approve of incinerating someone anyway." he pointed at Harpoon with the last part "The fact is, that whoever is after us has an advantage when it comes to range, we don't know who they are, and they have weaponry and ability to not only attack from a distance, but to set traps ahead of us, this also implies prior knowledge of the area, giving them home-field advantage too." "So the best way to deal with them, is to force them to reveal themselves, because we no doubt have the advantage in close range, not only because of there being more of us, but also because I and Sheska have been face to face with worse things." "They also can't be too good in melee combat since they failed to kill two elder ponies, no disrespect to the victims, but it isn't exactly hard to stab someone to death, especially if they are too weak to fight back." "Also the use of more subtle ways of killing while not trying to make it look like an accident implies that they rather avoid more direct approach, again signaling that they may not be as experienced in face to face combat." 

"What comes to Sheez, there really isn't a plan, we don't have any realistic means to do anything to her, so we have to just face her and get it over with, my guess is she'll come at night, walk through the front door directly to us, going through anyone, and anything, on her way, and invite herself in our room." "As a conclusion, for as far as you three should be worried regarding that meeting, Sheez is like that annoying aunt that thinks you like her, this time the aunt just also happens to be a traitorous killing machine." 

 

 

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom
"I appreciate your kindness. Our mother shouldn't be any harm, If anything, she'll probably need help getting here. If it wouldn't be too much to ask."Howl bowed.

"I could help her get here!"Ginger beamed

"Do you still crash?"Howl asked, furrowing his brow.

"N-No...Yeeeaaaaaahh... Yeah...yeah... I still crash..."Ginger was embarrassed to say.

"Exactly. If she needed to be flown somewhere, you would just crash and risk hurting her worse, not to mention you haven't had to lift anything like an entire changeling queen. Not to mention she might be somewhere dangerous and I wouldn't be there to protect you. "Howl said, before shifting to his pony disguise. It was an interesting choice that He chose to disguise himself as an ebony pelted unic

"Anyway, A letter would be good, my mother is a bit of a fan of nice penmanship. "Howl said to Cheshire.

"Could I help with writing the letter?"Ginger asked, hoping that she could be helpful

Edited November 15, 2022 by GingerLightning

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-11-14 at 1:29 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Thank you very much for your compliment! I’ve got my supplies right here, and an order form, Miss. It’s been a while since I used one of these, mostly since the local restaurants already had these made long ago. Without any new businesses coming for the morning rush, it’s all the same clients every day, not that I don’t like it, so to speak. It helps keep the bakery running.”

"Oh, I'm sure you will see an uptick in customers eventually. As you can hear by my order, it is for a gathering of more than a few. A well done meal, will make them question where I have acquired it from. I see no reason to not share such details with them. Quite honestly, I would enjoy seeing more life in Old Town. It has a rustic charm, that just aren't found, in the rest of Canterlot. Getting more eyes here, will certainly ensure that, as the eyes of others will begin to open for possibilities."

And enrich her somewhat more, but there were no reason for her to say that, and it were not as if it still wouldn't benefit Old Town. So it would be a delightful win win situation. One where she harvested the fruits of her meddle perhaps, but there were plenty left for others. She simply wanted her little slice of an investment, that she had been preparing for quite some time.

As for the work order, that would make things simpler indeed, so she'd fill that one out, rather than simply use regular paper. She'd still send over an actual contract, considering the work order, but this should suffice well, for a starter.

On 2022-11-14 at 1:29 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“All right, let me see. For your buns, we’ve got two hundred and fifty assorted pieces, and for your bread and cakes, those will come in twenty five and fifty three pieces, respectively. I am a little bit lost on the cakes though. Do you have a preference on sizes and types? I admit, this bakery doesn’t have that big of a selection of cakes compared to bread. We’ve got nine different flavors of cakes, including the frozen mango torte you ordered, so that’ll give you about six orders per flavor aside from one, though those cakes come in different sizes. Just to be certain, are we talking about regular-sized cakes like the torte or Petit Fours?”

“I hope this doesn’t come off as an irritation, Miss Scarcity. I’d like to take on this order, but I’d like to make sure it’s done right. While we’re at this, may I know where I can reach you once we enter into this agreement?”

"An irritation? Perish the thought my dear. I am a stickler for details myself, and do appreciate one following the same idea.

The cakes I have written down, I base around the size of the ones you have on view. As for the one out, I wrote the torte as having one more than the others, as I do think that my company will enjoy those quite well. A refreshing palate cleanser, if you will. Petit Fours are delightful for some things, yet for gatherings of this size, having whole cakes, that I can then present on suitably arranged cake platters, cut, and ready to partake in, are far more convenient."

She could already tell exactly which platters she were going to need, judging by the size of the cakes here, as well as how to have them cut, where to place them, and whom to direct around what cakes, based on what she already knew of them. Her gatherings went well, because she knew others, and thus, could indulge them quite well, making them more agreeable to her. Be it for business reasons, socializing, or other arrangements, it were all about how to turn things in her favor. Even times when she were simply there to make a donation, she calculated where press might be, and chose when and where, to show herself, for the ideal balance of privacy, and good publicity.

Quite frankly, she enjoyed this degree of mind games tremendously. It reminded her of being a young filly, and preparing the ultimate downfall of her sleazy parents. A time that had taken years too, but the thought of the ultimate payoff, and just the fun in having more cards on hoof, than others would feel comfortable knowing about, filled her with a certain degree of delight. Planning things these days, still gave her that satisfying thrill, even if nothing would ever compare, to the first one she had pulled off. It simply weren't possible, considering the mental image of the smug smile fleeing from her parents faces, as they got to know exactly how little they were worth, after she had taken it all from under them. It always felt better, when it came to somepony that you despised, and she despised them more than any.

"As for where you can find me, here you go dear, my card."

She'd float a professionally made business card, out of her bag. Dark and velvet, with golden, flowing letters. It had the name of her store - Scarcity's Antiques - the address, and the opening times on the back. As well as a number and address, for another location nearby.

The quality of the card, the address being in the expensive part of Canterlot, and the fact she could afford a second location, for an assistant, should tell Peaks that this were indeed a mare of means. And likely influence too. It would be valuable for her, to do a good job. The publicity she'd gain, could be very valuable to her. The bakery might do well enough now, but increased traffic never hurt.

"In case I am not available at the time, you can find an assistant of mine, at the other address. I shall inform her, that you might show around that date. I can assure you, that she will get in contact with me, as quickly as she is able."

On 2022-11-14 at 1:29 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Hmm… I wouldn’t know if I would find myself going to Ms. Scarcity for work if I’m going to be busy back home, but I’m considering it based on what she could give. I just hope I wouldn’t be desperate enough to go to her, like having no reason to go back to the forest. Maybe I might ask Uddo for work if he is willing. His family runs a shop, but it looks like it’s just them and Shade. Perhaps they could use an extra pair of claws?”

“Transportation work might be enough, but please don’t go doing something you’ll regret, Lin. You’ve already gone searching for dark magic, and I shudder to think about how successful the next time around because you got what you wanted the last time it happened.”

“I’ll be careful, and if it helps, I’ll go to you, Rosa, and Omen for advice. I value what you all have to say, and knowing my lesson from the last time, I should get several opinions before deciding. I suppose there’s no use worrying about that for now, so I’m looking forward to seeing what this scrap yard has to offer. Maybe I can also see how they recycle things here.”

"If you want my advice, then let me start by saying this: If you need the work, set your boundaries, and inform her you are not interested in dangerous things. I am assuming she'd mostly be interested in your ability to open portals as efficiently as you do, without the middle station that Omen or Hammond needs. If correct, here is my other advice: Take the money, and don't ask what you are moving. The less you know, the less she have to hold over you. And you'd likely sleep better at night.

Take it from one who have worked things with.. Questionably moral reasons, and methods. The more you know, the worse it can weigh upon you."

"Advice... If things look bad, run?"

Omen were very simple, compared to Rosa. The advice were the same because of it, with him more thinking of implications and morality decisions, as well as quick profit, if required. Omen on the other hoof, focused more on the immediate dangers, and how to just walk away, if things seemed off. They had both their practical views, but in the end, Lin should evaluate what sort of advice she needed, when it came to who to ask. Omen would cut through things, and be simplistic. Rosa would think on the bigger picture.

On 2022-11-14 at 1:29 PM, EQ_Theta said:

Now, someone came up to the group and advised them to wear the hard hats. Safety is understandable, and Lin didn’t have trouble using one, even if it was rather loosely sitting on her head because of her horn stumps. It was Sen who had more troubles with his hard hat hanging off one of his horns.

“Uh… I think I could use some help here. Are there any hats that have holes?”

The worker scratched his head.

"Well, sorta, but they're just for unicorn horns. Dragons usually got themselves some good scales to keep their noggin' safe. This here's... Different."

"You're overthinking it."

An older unicorn mare would come walking down one of the pathways, and as the worker heard her voice, he'd swing around, and nod his head at her.

"Ma'am."

She were tough looking for her age. Muscly and although both her mostly hidden beneath a hard hat, beige mane and short tail, as well as her grey coat were greying, she still looked gruff, and full of vigor. The sort that still seemed like they could knock you out, if you gave her a reason. She didn't wear glasses, and her iron-colored eyes would look over them, whilst she went chewing, on what appeared to be a stick of sorts. Pure licorice it seemed, judging by the smell. A bit rare, as most liked it when it had been made into proper candy, but a few had the craving for the basics. This mare seemed one of them.

"Here. We'll do it the old fashioned way."

She'd float a hard hat over, and whilst looking at Sen, would puncture two holes in the hat, by using her magic. The pieces of the helmet, would then be floated over to th worker, who'd put them in his pocket. He'd deal with them later.

Sen would now find that the hard hat fit him fairly well, long as he angled his horns in proper. And if the others had theirs on, which even Omen did, they could proceed.

"Hmph. Better. I'm the foreman here. Iron Masters. You don't seem officials, or here to deposit. You looking for something then?"

================================================================

 

@GingerLightning

"A full fledged queen, aren't easy to move around. We can be kinda heavy, for the average sized equine, or changeling. It's probably easier if we get her to a town, and then escort her via train. Don't worry, I promise she'll get here nice and safely."

It wasn't that she couldn't technically fly the queen, but if her health weren't good enough for consistent flying, it might indicate that she were not in a position where potential, sudden movements were a good thing. A train ride would be nice and simple, and should also be easily defendable, if she felt threatened. Not that she were a fighter, but a fair bunch had thought that just because Cheshire did not fight, that she would be easy to stomp all over. That attitude didn't last long, once she started to unfold herself. Her array of illusions made her very hard to pin down, and she mostly tended to make others give up trying to fight her, out of frustration.

She should probably bring some extra food and a helper or two along though, when it were. Just in case. Better safe then sorry, as the ponies tended to say.

"And yeah, the more help for the letter, the better. She'll trust us more, if she knows her kids sent her. Though, I'm getting confused here. You said she might be in a dangerous place? Does that mean she's not in a town, and we have to go and deliver this to her? Or is she in an unfriendly town? This is sorta important information."

She'd definitely need to set up more time, in case she needed to go and rescue the queen, essentially. She'd still do it, if it wasn't like, in an anti-magic zone, but it were gonna be important that she knew what she were stepping into. And even if it were in such a zone, she had some friends she could ask for help. Turns out being helpful and nice to others, got you some favors to use, every now and again. Fancy that, huh?

While she were talking, some paper, a pen, and an envelope would be fetched by one of her drones, thinking this as good a time as any to get it. Weren't hard either. They were in a nearby cabinet. They tended to have them close, in case they had to send out invitations or something for a show. Usually to places like the orphanage, or the old folks home. Those two groups couldn't afford this sort of entertainment, so they put on free performances for them, every now and again. It were great practice, and young and old alike, really enjoyed it. Sure some had then complained why they got it for free, when they didn't, but eh. You learned to tune out the pointless whiners.

=========================================================

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2022-11-14 at 1:58 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

She looked towards Charir, then back at Leviathan "In full truth, the only thing I believe could cause trouble for Charir is asking help, our mother did not like failure, and she believed in harsh punishments, the reward for success was to not be hurt, and even that wasn't always true, I had as many if not more broken bones during the few years under her care than I've had in the over 100 years since, and that's just the bones, and I wasn't a runt and male." 

Leviathan had been listening in up until this part, looking genuinely interested, in hearing how they taught each other. Which granted, were not grand, but it were still useful information. She were probably gonna go another route, if possible, since she figured things would be done more efficiently. And with less pain, which is where she'd wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"Seriously, the more I learn about your mom, the less I want to know her. And I'm definitely not going down that route with him. If he does well, I'll get him a treat of sorts, or a gift maybe. We'll see what I can think of. And if he fails, I'll give him encouragement. I'm not gonna torture him, just to try and force through some crazy notion of *You learn, or you get it*. I honestly hope several rocks falls down on her head, on a daily basis."

It probably wouldn't do a darn thing, against a thick skull like hers, but it were a satisfying mental image to have with her.

On 2022-11-14 at 1:58 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

When in the living room, Ruby would give another scroll from the bag to Charir, and explain him something while pointing at few spots on it, if Leviathan looked, she'd see it was similar-ish to something you would give a baby to learn words, there was what one could assume to be the alphabet on top, and under it there were crudely drawn pictures with words under it, pictures of things like, a dragon, a cave, mother, things like that, thought the theme was quite different from what for example ponies would have, as instead of wholesome things like friends, cute animals and candy, there was pictures of blood, bones and fire. This all of course in their native writing.

She'd then take the remaining scroll from the bag and go to Leviathan.

She'd find that Leviathan, upon entering the room, weren't really that focused on any scroll. Instead, she were noticing the thick layers of dust everywhere. Nothing that some hard work, and a solid set of washing cloth couldn't handle, along with a broom, and some hot, soapy water, eh?

Ooooor, she could cheat and use magic.

She'd start humming, and clapped her hands together, as wind began to blow through the room. They'd feel some of it, but the strong gusts were more focused, and away from them, lest they stood in dust. They'd feel it then, as wind blew and picked up the dust, swirling it into small pockets in the air. She'd motion through the room as she did so, humming and swaying arms and legs, hips and shoulders, clearly dancing to the work. Did she have to? No. She could stand still, and get the same effect. But where were the fun in that, right? So she'd dance, as the dust got whisked up, and as all the loose dust got gathered, it would change shape, to look like a dust-filled cloud, looking closely like herself. She'd have it and herself, bow to one another, then prance along to the nearest door, or window, that could be cracked. They'd have a bit of a wave there, before the dusty self, would dive towards a cracked window, or underside of a door, and just slide out, into a large puff of dust on the other side. It'd be... Something to watch out there, but hey. Least it were cleaner in here now, right? And they'd just see the dust blow. The dragon form, would vanish smoothly, as the form would squeeze under the frame, or through the crack, and expunge the collected dust, like a leaf blower.

"Now weren't that better?"

She'd then come over and see what sorta thing, it were that they were actually teaching him from. Seemed to be a picture book for crazy people. Very draconic, honestly. Made more sense than those you saw of flowers, cats, etc. They'd get to those another time.

"Nice pictures honestly. More detailed than I figured they'd be."

===========================================================================

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2022-11-14 at 1:58 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

When it came to plan of action, Sear was actually the first one to talk "We'll at least stay here, I can keep us two safe lot easier here than out on the open." Trox continued from that "That is the best approach in current situation, preferably we'd go somewhere with only one way in and trap the way in with enough firepower to vaporize a building while also carrying weapons ourselves, but that isn't really an option here, not that you probably would approve of incinerating someone anyway." he pointed at Harpoon with the last part

Harpoon would nod at both things. It were best for the civilians to stay here safely, and it were not good, if they suddenly ended up setting other folks on fire. It would cause quite the stir, to put it extremely mildly. More than likely, they'd all be dragged into court, and end up serving a long time in prison, for reckless endangerment, and manslaughter. And she for one, had other plans for her life, than going through that.

On 2022-11-14 at 1:58 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"The fact is, that whoever is after us has an advantage when it comes to range, we don't know who they are, and they have weaponry and ability to not only attack from a distance, but to set traps ahead of us, this also implies prior knowledge of the area, giving them home-field advantage too." "So the best way to deal with them, is to force them to reveal themselves, because we no doubt have the advantage in close range, not only because of there being more of us, but also because I and Sheska have been face to face with worse things." "They also can't be too good in melee combat since they failed to kill two elder ponies, no disrespect to the victims, but it isn't exactly hard to stab someone to death, especially if they are too weak to fight back." "Also the use of more subtle ways of killing while not trying to make it look like an accident implies that they rather avoid more direct approach, again signaling that they may not be as experienced in face to face combat." 

"What comes to Sheez, there really isn't a plan, we don't have any realistic means to do anything to her, so we have to just face her and get it over with, my guess is she'll come at night, walk through the front door directly to us, going through anyone, and anything, on her way, and invite herself in our room." "As a conclusion, for as far as you three should be worried regarding that meeting, Sheez is like that annoying aunt that thinks you like her, this time the aunt just also happens to be a traitorous killing machine." 

"You are bringing up an interesting point. Considering the professional matter, that the changeling were hit, it is odd how messy the first attack were. And then to add to it, that even after all the stabbings, that the targets didn't die. You'd think a professional, would be able to finish the job properly, even if it were meant to look messy, and like it were done by somepony not knowing what they were doing.

Maybe they were interrupted or something? I suppose it doesn't matter, but it's curious. Seems very inconsistent with how the rest of things have been going.

As for Sheez... If I'm still around at that point, I'll keep in mind to not stay in the wrong position. I hope no one else will either, but sadly, I can't go and tell others about her. It'll cause panic, if they even believed me. Quite honestly, it is rather hard to believe after all."

Harpoon would draw in a deep breath, then exhale, and mentally prepare herself. It appeared they had a set course, and it weren't in here, for all of them. Only the two, who were best off staying in hiding.

"If we're gonna force their hoof, we can't do it in here, without causing harm to you two. Assuming we're being watched, I'd say we lure the assassin somewhere more remote. The apple farm area perhaps. There shouldn't be too many there, and the trees might make them think they have an easy place to hide. But I know there's a clearing near it. We can move in that direction, and forcing them out in the open. Worst we'd have to consider, were them potentially being able to fly.

It's not how I usually deal with things, but it is better than potentially causing accidental deaths, by your idea of a single entrance, boobytrapped room. And if I might add an issue with being in a room like that? Only one way in, but also only one way out. What's to stop the assassin from trying a gas grenade, and blocking the entrance."

========================================================================

 

@Kujamih

 

"We do, but out future is important too. And the better we do for the elders, the better chance of things going well. He is very cool though, from what we heard. A trickster like a kitsune, but so much more. It's kinda crazy."

At this point, Shark just started to laugh out of nowhere, causing the kitsune to look at her confused, and a little worried.

"Funny talk, both at... S-aaaaaaame. Same. Both at same time."

"Why do you talk like you do? We speak like this because we are twins. We always know what the other think."

"....Tw-iiiiiins. Twins. Twins is funny word.

Many, many word, I still not know how to say. I hear, I say, I learn. Special one that took me from ocean, made my head smarts. Still need help."

Light might have to clarify things a bit, for both parties, but it seemed they understood each other kind of, so a step by step. And now, it were food time! So Shark would go up to the line. She wasn't sure exactly what were happening here, but the ponies did it, so she should stand here like they did, yes? Made sense to her. And if Light hadn't followed? She'd go back, and drag him with her by the tail. The male kitsune would giggle a little from seeing that, until the female kneed him, and gave him a bit of a glare, as to say *behave yourself*.

As they'd get up to the front eventually, the kitsune would go first, whilst Shark looked on, very curious what they would eat.

"Could we have some fish, and selleri sticks, please?"

The mare at the counter, were a different one from last time - or well, she were further down the line, at drinks - and she'd look briefly confused about the kimono wearing foxes, but there were a line, and they seemed to be students, so... Sure, why not? She'd get some steamed fish, and steamed celery sticks. Something Shark would also ask for, when she got there. And the mare from yesterday, heard her voice, and looked over, before letting out an internal groan. These two again. And they brought even more weird friends...

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

Light would suggest to Shark to just try one celery sticks Before ordering a lot.

" I'll have some flower sandwich." He asked.

Light would also take note on what he had learned. Shark requires extra knowledge in language and it seems that she was gifted with boosted knowledge.

Light always liked anyone who is down to earth and smart creatures. Making him blush a bit when looking at Shark.

Which reminded him.... What's his other friends that he had abandoned up to? From the other dimensions to the ones he just left recently?

Now it hunts him... Will it be the same with her? he ponders silently in his dread. 

 

 

[Rising Dusk 27,686]

@Blitz Boom

Outsider.  Accurate, harsh, but no less true.  A barrier that both lands would have to overcome in the approaching days, months and years.  Equestria has its fair share of suspicious attitudes, a huddle to get over for sure as both lands have that in common.  Their new Princess was breaking down those boundaries though, so there was a gleam of light in that regard.  "Thank you, Necrotic.  I'm ready," Rising confirmed with a nod.

The tour through the castle continued and the sounds of festive gatherings became more and more dull the deeper they went.  A door, 'Knight Quarters', hopefully not somewhere he was expected to stay for an extended period.  An amusing thought.  Down the hall into an open yard where the crowds outside could finally be heard again.  With the new addition of the hustle of training knights busy at work.  No rest for the weary it seemed, hard at work on their armor and training to be out with the rest of the guards or enjoying the festival about to get under way.  They were introduced to, whom Rising could assume, were the one in charge of this training crew.  A very large Diamond Dog.  It was starting to add up to the family the large population of Diamond Dogs in Harrowmark.  Equestria had them, of course, but no where near this scale.  The selected detail for their escorts this even were all Diamond Dogs, not something the family was use to seeing.

The squad scurried off to gather their equipment for the detail.  Rising mimicked a salute he'd seen the Royal Guards in Equestria do, the O.M.I. not having anything really quite as such formalized to match.   "Captain Gerthrude, the honor is mine," he lowered his salute in greeting.  "This is my father, Star Echo.  My mother, Soaring Grace.  And my sister, Setting Dawn," the detective introduced in turn.  Logic told Rising that knowing their names would assist the knights should protective orders need be barked in case problems did arise.  Although he hoped it wouldn't be needed.  Also just seemed polite.

"Ho ho ho!  Joining us for the festivities?  How joyous!  So many Diamond Dogs I've got to meet today.  First a fellow scholar and now a group of valiant knights!" the professed chuckled and stroked his mustache, enjoying the prospect of getting to interact with a group of Diamond Dogs at such an event.  "I think they'll be working, darling.  Please excuse him, Captain.  He's easy to excite.  And the one most likely to wander off," Grace felt this information would be useful to their escorts.  "Gasp!  My feathered angel, you cut me deep," the stallion covered his heart, feinting emotional injury.  Dawn remained quiet, but bowed her head respectively in greeting all the same.  Her comfort around the undead was still being internally worked on and having two selected as part of the detail still sent a shiver down her spine.

[GingerLightning 258]

@Blitz Boom

"Well, she keeps attempting to return to the hive. My mother is stubborn that way, She doesn't want to give up on it. I frequently find her wandering near the old Hive's territory. She hardly recovers from her injuries before trying to go back to the hive. It's painful to see her in such a state. I tried to get her to stay with some of my friends in a town, but the town isn't necessarily changeling friendly. It would be like walking around Canterlot undisguised. But disguised the locals are quite friendly.  My friends there are sympathetic to changelings. It's safer than at that hive." Howl explained.


"I hope She's okay..."Ginger seemed to worry quite a bit, her concerns were reasonable, But her brother hated to see her frown and look so downtrodden.

"Look, no matter what happens, You'll still have your big brother looking out for you."He ruffled her mane, it was a bit of a struggle for him, since she was around the same height as he was in his pony disguise. He was a tall, elegant looking ebony colored unicorn, his mane was similar hues of red to Ginger's mane, and fairly well cared for and tidy despite being just as curly and wild as Ginger's mane, as though somepony had tamed the wild beast that was his mane.He was still taller than her in his disguised form by a few inches, but when he was his real self, he wasn't much taller than the average drone, and Ginger was certainly much taller.

"What have you been eating to get so tall?! Like holy Celestia.... You're almost as tall as mom! Don't tell me, you're going to keep growing... If you keep growing, you'll hit your head on the ceiling!  we don't want that, do we? So stop growing taller! "Howl tried to lighten the mood and get his little sister to smile.

"I can't help it if I grow taller... I guess I just got them tall genes..."Ginger chuckled a little.

"Well, stop having the tall genes! Maybe try having the short genes! You are my little sister after all, not my outrageously tall sister!"Howl said playfully.

"Maybe I'm not growing taller... Maybe you're shrinking!!" Ginger said in mock horror, giggling at her brother's jest.

Howl's eyes widened with faux fear "Dear Celestia... you might be right!!"
He fell to his knees, pretending to get smaller.

"Oh what a world!!! what a cruel, cruel world!! Bleh..."He rolled over, playing dead, sticking his tongue out as well.

It was honestly a comical performance, that got Ginger laughing and smiling to the point she snorted. "Okay, okay, You can stop now, you big goof ball..."

"Smile spotted! mission accomplished!"He jumped to his hooves, only to get lightly smacked in the face with one of Ginger's wings.

"Shush. "Ginger huffed, as though annoyed at her brother's antics, but she did honestly enjoy her brother's goofy games and jokes.

"Copy that."Howl chuckled.





 

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-11-16 at 5:04 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"An irritation? Perish the thought my dear. I am a stickler for details myself, and do appreciate one following the same idea.

The cakes I have written down, I base around the size of the ones you have on view. As for the one out, I wrote the torte as having one more than the others, as I do think that my company will enjoy those quite well. A refreshing palate cleanser, if you will. Petit Fours are delightful for some things, yet for gatherings of this size, having whole cakes, that I can then present on suitably arranged cake platters, cut, and ready to partake in, are far more convenient."

“Sounds good! Standard-sized cakes with one more torte than the others; a great choice, if do say so myself. You’ll get an assortment of all of the cakes this bakery has to offer. Well… I guess with the assorted buns in there, you and your party will also be able to sample pretty much all of the types of buns from this bakery. That’s a pretty good deal if you or your guests have a sweet tooth.” 

The baker then accepted the business card given to her, with the details. The distance is fair, and going by the alternate address, this was definitely someone that Peaks will need to impress… Something tells her that this’ll be good for the business if things go well, and for a small bakery like hers, positive word of mouth can go a long way. Being famous wasn’t something that was on her mind, but having more funds to expand, to grow her business beyond what she imagined was part of a dream. Now that could be a reality that she can see coming true.

From there, Peaks scribbled down the last details of the order, and she’s got it down in triplicate. Duplicate documents were nice, but that one extra could always come in handy when things go unexpectedly wrong. Once that’s done, she passed the order form to Scarcity for the finishing touches, though the signature was already a given. 

“Alrighty. Just need to get the last details down. Please fill in the date and location you’d like your order to be delivered to you. It’s not just me running this bakery, so I’ll review the details with my co-workers when they get back, but rest assured that when we receive your formal contract, we’ll get it back to you as soon as possible. Oh, and we must not forget your order. One frozen mango torte, the assorted bun platter, and your cinnamon rolls... All that will come to a total of 54 bits.” 

On 2022-11-16 at 5:04 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"If you want my advice, then let me start by saying this: If you need the work, set your boundaries, and inform her you are not interested in dangerous things. I am assuming she'd mostly be interested in your ability to open portals as efficiently as you do, without the middle station that Omen or Hammond needs. If correct, here is my other advice: Take the money, and don't ask what you are moving. The less you know, the less she have to hold over you. And you'd likely sleep better at night.

Take it from one who have worked things with.. Questionably moral reasons, and methods. The more you know, the worse it can weigh upon you."

"Advice... If things look bad, run?"

Lin shuddered at the thought, and even now she’s having cold feet. A courier job sounded simple enough, but with Scarcity, even the definition of “simple” may be stretched out beyond what anyone else may think. Regardless, what she heard would suffice as a guide and a warning, especially the part about not thinking about what she was delivering.

As for Omen’s take, it was simple but straightforward, perhaps a little refreshing and welcomed regardless. These combined with Sen’s concern for her safety was good for a start, but the longma hoped she’d keep the thought of taking jobs from Scarcity to a minimum. To some degree, she hoped she’d be busy at home, and something tells her there’d be a chance that the group’s dynamic would change upon seeing how things were faring back home.

“Thanks, everyone. I’ll keep what you all said in mind.”

On 2022-11-16 at 5:04 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Here. We'll do it the old fashioned way."

She'd float a hard hat over, and whilst looking at Sen, would puncture two holes in the hat, by using her magic. The pieces of the helmet, would then be floated over to th worker, who'd put them in his pocket. He'd deal with them later.

Sen would now find that the hard hat fit him fairly well, long as he angled his horns in proper. And if the others had theirs on, which even Omen did, they could proceed.

"Hmph. Better. I'm the foreman here. Iron Masters. You don't seem officials, or here to deposit. You looking for something then?"

Sen would take the modified hard hat and slowly guide his horns through the holes. It somewhat felt like a puzzle with him trying to navigate the hat around the protrusions on the sides of his horns, but he’d get it eventually. The mare that assisted him was very intimidating but didn’t seem antagonistic. Someone like this might not be the type to have their time wasted though, so things will have to be kept straightforward. 

“Thank you for your help, Miss Masters. We’re not officials; my sister here is looking for woodworking tools, and we’re wondering if there might be some here?”

“Yes. I was told this is a place where old things that could still be of use in some form could be found or recycled. Might that be true for tools and other similar items?”

Edited November 17, 2022 by EQ_Theta

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-11-17 at 3:48 PM, EQ_Theta said:

“Alrighty. Just need to get the last details down. Please fill in the date and location you’d like your order to be delivered to you. It’s not just me running this bakery, so I’ll review the details with my co-workers when they get back, but rest assured that when we receive your formal contract, we’ll get it back to you as soon as possible. Oh, and we must not forget your order. One frozen mango torte, the assorted bun platter, and your cinnamon rolls... All that will come to a total of 54 bits.” 

As she were filling in the exact dates - that being 12 days from now, buns needed at 8, and the cakes two hours later, at the latest - Scarcity would also be floating out the exact bits needed for this transaction. She were using ten and twenty bits to reach one part, then regular bits for the rest. They couldn't deal in just single bits here in Canterlot. Especially not in her profession. She'd need a wagon every minor transaction, and a train for the actually expensive things. Dreadful mess that would be. This where why they had higher ones, such as tens, twenties, fifties, hundreds, and the rarely used thousand bit coin. Though the latter one were primarily for folks like them, who did high end business between one another. It were not possible to pay with that one, anywhere publicly, due to the obscene value. It could only be deposited in a bank, and at that point, most used checks. It were simply easier.

"Here you go dear. And do remember to discuss with them, the worktime required. A larger order such as this, are bound to take time from your usual business. I believe it only fair then, that the worktime be considered under your compensation for the job."

It might seem at times, that Scarcity were throwing bits around, without much thought. But she did think about how much she spend, and on what. It were just that she also had vast, unknown wealth from her illicit dealings, and paying extra well for good service, were not something she could be tracked on. Not that she really needed to, considering how the tax services were well in her power to deal with, but why bother, when she could play them? It were more interesting too that way.

That said, she were mostly dealing with this, from the perspective of investment. In the end, she'd likely reap more than she sowed. Not a guarantee of course, but she were mostly correct, or flexible enough to still find a way to make a profit, when she took a risk. Her track record were enough proof to show, that she were more right than wrong. And the times she were not? Well, every investment were a risk. Were she not able to accept that, she should not be doing it in the first place, now should she?

"I will have the contract made during the day, and delivered within three hours. That should prove sufficient time to do this well."

Scarcity would get on a knee, and get into head height of Floral, who'd look at her, as Scarcity began hoof signing to her. After a little bit, the filly would nod, then take the bag of food they had purchased, and look into it, having a big sniff, and seemingly getting all giddy with joy. A sight which caused Scarcity a fair bit of delight it seemed, before the bag were closed again, and she'd reach it up towards her. Scarcity would use her magic to carry the bag from there on out.

"Something tells me that she enjoys the prospect of our meal. A rousing endorsement, I must say. Something tells me that we will meet on such terms as this, more times than today."

Floral would bend down again, and give the kitty an extra good scratchy, then lifted up again, seemingly now a little sad. She didn't like leaving the cute kitty behind, but Scarcity were right. They needed to go as well, so they could enjoy their food.

"Something tells me that I will need to acquire a small pouch for cat treats, in the coming days. A surprising, yet delightful turn of events. What more could a mother wish for, than for her foal to get friends after all, hmm?"

Well, quite a lot in fact, but she would not be putting undue pressure on Floral, at her age. It were not fitting.

On 2022-11-17 at 3:48 PM, EQ_Theta said:

Sen would take the modified hard hat and slowly guide his horns through the holes. It somewhat felt like a puzzle with him trying to navigate the hat around the protrusions on the sides of his horns, but he’d get it eventually. The mare that assisted him was very intimidating but didn’t seem antagonistic. Someone like this might not be the type to have their time wasted though, so things will have to be kept straightforward. 

“Thank you for your help, Miss Masters. We’re not officials; my sister here is looking for woodworking tools, and we’re wondering if there might be some here?”

“Yes. I was told this is a place where old things that could still be of use in some form could be found or recycled. Might that be true for tools and other similar items?”

"Yep, we got some of those. Follow me."

Iron would wave at them to follow her, as she guided them down some rows of metal. All seemed to be orderly, and the workers there, did their jobs with care. They knew she weren't gonna be happy if they didn't, as well that she tended to only yell at them, when it were for their own good. Being careless, could cost them limbs, or their lives, and she didn't want them to go through that. Profit be damned, safety came first in her steelyard, and she weren't gonna have that be skimped out on. These ponies had families at home, waiting for them. She didn't want to be the one to tell them, that their loved ones, had been crushed under a loose part of a sawmill, or something like it.

Going past some more rows, she'd notice how Rosa appeared to be giving small, yet focused glances between the stacks.

"Used to looking for treasure in trash?"

"You could say that. Though I am just observing the integrity, and organisation this time. You're seeming running a rather tight ship here."

"It's that, or crushed folks. Foreman before me, lost three workers to a falling water tower, that he hadn't secured before a storm. I ain't having that on my watch."

"A wise position, Foreman Masters."

Wouldn't be long after that, that they'd reach a small shed. Therein, sat a rather normal looking, brown-coated young stallion, whistling away, as he sorted through several boxes of things, down a long table. Every thing brought up, the earth pony would examine quickly, then bring to it's correct position, before marking it down, and getting back to another box. All the things here, were small parts. Sawblades, hinges, pipes, and yes, tools. Most tools, being at the section near the end of the table. Some were in a box at that place too, and if they looked at them, they'd find that these were tools where the metal had little, if any problems. It were just the attachments that were not good. Such as broken or rotted hammer handles. It were the sort that'd need some work to get in good order, but there were bits and pieces on this long table, that were already fine, but were either a bit rusty, slightly warped, or just dirty, covered in gods knew what, and clearly needing a proper cleanse. There were also tools that seemed to not be failing anything. A few scratches at most, which were odd, and frankly, in Iron's opinion, a total waste.

"Just let Franks work, and look at things around him. We'll work something out if there's something."

(You are encouraged to make up/just find things now. Go nuts.  )

================================================================

 

@GingerLightning

On 2022-11-17 at 3:38 AM, GingerLightning said:

"Well, she keeps attempting to return to the hive. My mother is stubborn that way, She doesn't want to give up on it. I frequently find her wandering near the old Hive's territory. She hardly recovers from her injuries before trying to go back to the hive. It's painful to see her in such a state. I tried to get her to stay with some of my friends in a town, but the town isn't necessarily changeling friendly. It would be like walking around Canterlot undisguised. But disguised the locals are quite friendly.  My friends there are sympathetic to changelings. It's safer than at that hive." Howl explained.

"Yeeeah... Laws or not, Canterlot is not a changeling friendly place still. Especially not to queens.

And I think it's gonna be important to get her here sooner, rather than later. If she keeps going back, despite being treated poorly, it signals there's something wrong, and we gotta get to the bottom of it, before it gets worse. If we're lucky, she's just missing some hive life, but it could be worse... I won't know until I see her."

Cheshire were genuinely concerned now. This sort of behavior were very unusual. In fact, it were the first time she had heard of it. And granted, she were a young queen, but she still knew stories and tales. And in those, the few that involved a hive rejecting the queen, it had never included stories, that the queen kept coming back for more. Not  unless it were to take over the hive again by force, which a queen did have the option of doing, due to them being vastly more powerful than the drones. Something odd were happening here, and she needed to figure out what.

On 2022-11-17 at 3:38 AM, GingerLightning said:

"Oh what a world!!! what a cruel, cruel world!! Bleh..."He rolled over, playing dead, sticking his tongue out as well.

It was honestly a comical performance, that got Ginger laughing and smiling to the point she snorted. "Okay, okay, You can stop now, you big goof ball..."

"Smile spotted! mission accomplished!"He jumped to his hooves, only to get lightly smacked in the face with one of Ginger's wings.

"Shush. "Ginger huffed, as though annoyed at her brother's antics, but she did honestly enjoy her brother's goofy games and jokes.

"Copy that."Howl chuckled.

The entire hive looked on, as the impromptu sibling jesting/performance went underway, all of them in complete silence. And when it were all said and done... Well, a few voices did rise up from the rows, and the shadows of the ceiling.

"5"

"I liked the death scene. 7."

"Needed some fake blood. I'll give it a 6."

"Now now everypony. Let's be fair. They didn't have prep time. I'd give it a 7.5."

Seemed like the ones talking, were satisfied enough with that, considering the lack of prep time, and the genuine feel of the performance. They should probably not have judged it, but they were all performers, in one way or another. It were hard not to. Especially when it were done in their own theater. And it were done in jest, as the spread giggles and claps should've made rather obvious.

"We can't help ourselves sometimes, and that were genuinely nice to see. A bit of a heartfelt moment between siblings.

We better be on our way though. Best if you write the letter Ginger, and then we get on our way. Unless you're both just wanting to join up? We can take care of your doggy until you're back. I bet there's several volunteers who'd be thrilled."

Three hooves shot up already, as she were speaking. The wood puppy were popular, even if he were currently just rubbing his forehead against the side of one of the chairs, to itch his back.

"Oh, and while I remember: The height thing, could just be because she's a halfling. Mutations are not that unusual, when it comes to halfbreeds of any sort. Mostly nothing bad, and just small quirks, but stuff like increased height I've seen before. Like this dd zebra pegasus. Lovely filly that one, but she were towering, before veen turning adult. It were pretty crazy, having to look up at a filly, some of the times when I were there, passing as a hospital clown."

=================================================================

 

@Rising Dusk

"We shall keep a close eye on him, ma'am. He won't get away from me."

Her nostrils expanded, as she took a whiff, getting to know their scents. They were pretty unique, around those of Harrowmark, but there were ways to shield those quickly. She'd have to keep a good eye out here, and keep one of her guards permanently on the patriarch of their group it seemed. And she had a fairly good idea of whom too.

"I will find my uniform, and return shortly. My prince. Sir Dusk."

As she said their names, she'd bow her head to them, right ar across her chest. Then she'd get back up on her paws, and go fetch her uniform. She were going to need it, just as her squad were.

"Forgive the captain for her leaving so abruptly, and the shortness of her words. As you can likely tell, she is very duty focused, and does not wish to delay even a request. It is one of several reasons, why she have gotten as far as she has, in our ranks, and will continue to rise, I would think. At least I see no reason she could not. She would make a fine knight captain.

Regardless, your comment surprises me though. You do not have many diamond dogs in Equestria? Or are they different than ours? It is in the history book you have been provided, but Harrowmark are build upon the shared efforts, of diamond dogs, and equines. The former being here when the first equine arrived, and taught us of the land, and what to watch for. As we attuned ourselves with the gods, and began worship, they united with us in harmony, and through our history, they have been close with us. Not part of the royal line, as equines were the first who established the royal house, and they preferred not governing then, but everywhere else, they have been known. Even members of the priests of Viz'nay, or the worshippers of Suushan.

All of them are on as equal hoofing as the rest of us. Though by all means, ask them yourself if you se wish, at any point you wish to. I'm sure some would be pleased to share in their history. Especially those with interesting family lines."

If any of them mentioned, that in Equestria, Diamond dogs tended to be simpleminded, and not anywhere near this size, it would cause Necrotic pause. He'd assume though, it had something to do with a mixture of the ingrained magic, that they could wield here in Harrowmark, as well as their inclusion as their society grew, causing them to simply just having grown up smarter. It were not here, as it were in Equestria, where diamond dogs, were some of the outsiders, as ponies had divvied things up, and eventually gathered into an equine society in full. Inclusion of others, had taken more time. Not here, in Harrowmark. They had thousands of years of coexisting peacefully to work with here, and learning, as well as teaching, alongside them.

They didn't have the monarchy before equines arrived granted, going more with an overarching pack leader, but they found a way to accept each-others ideals, and in time, the diamond dogs had more or less joined the monarchy, over their hierarchy. Though they were still pack creatures, and tended to do better, when lead by their own. Such were the case with the famed hero, Grogar Hammertail, as well as Captain Gerthrude. Though Grogar had been bigger than her. She were still rather close though, and due to it, she were so often looked at, by other diamond dogs, as a potential, future champion of their kin, like he had been.

She had been brazen because of that once. Cost her an eye, and the life of her dearest friend. She had been determined to never let the words of others, go to her head after that. Regardless of how much her friend to this day, still told her that he did not blame her. She still had seen the price of hubris, and though still around, her friend were unable to continue his linage. Seeing him, and thinking of that, as well as the day it had all gone wrong, helped her to remember what happened, if she led herself with misplaced arrogance, rather than a level head.

It would not be long before the pack would be assembled. Clad in steel too, theirs were a little more intricate, to account for their joints, and need for mobility. Their facemasks also weren't full cover, as their teeth and nose, were weapons too, so their armors there, mostly just covered the top of their heads.

Gerthrude's armor were so shiny, that the lights reflected off of it. She had clearly been preparing, and polishing her gear proper, as best she could. Up to and including, her weapon of choice: A large, metal club, covered in sharp spikes, going from her shoulders, and all the way down to the ground. The handle being wrapped in thick, well worn leather, and the spike so polished, that you could see your own reflection in it. The last thing most would see, before they would be mushed beneath it. The captain certainly wasn't a subtle one, yet she were firmly on their side. Loyal to the throne, until the last end, Necrotic felt certain that as his time on the throne might one day come, her, or one of her best pups, would make for his most trusted knight.

The other guards gathered behind her, and thankfully for Dawn, she wouldn't be able to see signs of the undeath, on the two who were. Facial damages weren't something, that the two of them were marred by. It were mostly things that had ravaged their bodies. Most of the sign that one could see, would be a feint glow, in the eyes of the right one.

"We are ready, my prince. Everyone in formation. Rhodan, you're on him. Do not let him out of your sight."

The youngest looking of the knights, would nod, and go towards Rising's father, as he were directed towards, while the others would move around them, making a formation covering all sides, with Gerthrude ready to take the front. Soon as they said they were ready, she would sheath the club on her back - a magical magnet held it in place, on a belt crossing like a shoulderbag strap, from her left shoulder - and prepare to walk out, towards the front gate.

Rhodan would lock eyes with the elderly pony, and as they did, his right eye would contract, and let off a feint dark hue. Rising would find, that there were put a tracking spell on his father. A small thing, but it would keep him able to track the stallion, at all times, lest the spell were blocked. If it were, or removed, he'd be confused, and look at the pony, uncertain what were going on. He weren't used to others, messing with his spells.

===============================================================================

 

@Kujamih

The flower sandwich were light and crisp, but there were several things he could add to it if he wanted. Including a helping of sauce, to spice it up a bit, though not a lot went for hot meals this time of day. Except for the meat eaters.

Shark would take the suggestion of a celery stick at heart, and try one first, chewing it right where she stood. Her eyes went wide, and ears perked, as she'd chew the rest of the stick down like it were going through a woodchipper. Then she'd ask for several more, and the pony complied. It appeared she were a fan of this. Arguably, the sound could likely have a fair bit to do with that. The crunch were very satisfying to her, and as she were a pony too, the taste of greens were a new, yet fascinating taste, that she so far didn't mind. A less than picky omnivore.

When they got to the table, the foxes seemed hesitant to eat fast, but Shark going to town on the food, and showing it were okay, seemed to make the two of them willing to eat at a sensible pace. Though they did not just ram their face into things, which were more or less what Shark did. Instead, they conjured up utensils of magic, that floated over, and cut the pieces they wanted to out, before bringing it to their mouths. Just because you had paws, didn't mean you couldn't use a knife and a fork. Or chopsticks, but they were not eating things that required that right now.

"Hehe, crunchy food. Mate wanna try too?"

Shark were halfway through a celery stick, then turned towards Light, big grin on her face, and a half celery stick between her teeth, offering him to take a bite off of the end, that were sticking out of her mouth. It were a sign of affection to her, from her old life, where they didn't exactly have limbs to work with, after all. The things presented also tended to still be, or having once, moved quite a lot, but that were a tiny detail, right?

It appeared the kistune watched them closely, with the female having a small smile on her face. It were nice for her, to see that so different ones, could get along. It gave her some small hope, that this program, would end well for them.

Meanwhile, as Light thought of old friends, a pair of them were in grave peril.

"Heeeeeelp!"

Toasty would be flying through the air in circles, rotating and shaking herself, seemingly completely out of it. At least it seemed so from the voice. It were hard to know from her, as she were after all, a four slice, floating toaster, covered in rainbow fluff, and a cord hanging after her like a tail. With a pair of insect-like eyes on the front, a mouth that looked like it doubled as a crumb collector, four nubs that wriggled like feet beneath, and flew around, with an aura of honey-baked brownies wafting behind her.

Basically, it were pretty hard to grasp what were going on, by sight alone. Though she did seem to be in distress, and looking for Cali.

"A praying mantis crawled into my middle toaster! I can feel it wriggling!"

Yes... Grave, terrifying danger indeed. The sort that could definitely not be handled, if she just stopped moving, so the poor thing could crawl out again.

*cough*

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

Light hates the taste of celery, but could not miss the opportunity Shark gave him.

He'd easily endure the taste of celery, but his thoughts run wild as he attempts to bite a bit of the celery. He would end up Locking eyes with her, causing his heart to beat fast. He tries to focus and try not to get too close at her lips.

But his attempts to take a nibble of the celery backfired. He panicked and ended up taking a big chunk of the celery and ended up kissing shark.

He'd turn full red and was about to burst.

" I- im sorry shark! I didn't mean to be so shameless!"

Hed start to sweat a lot and continue to blush real hard.

Hed notice the kitsune watching him ever so enthusiastically. Hed try to give them an intimidating look but failed, due to him blushing really hard. He'd just end up looking embarrassed that this kits are looking at him.

Luckily a distressed pony distracted everyone.

Light could not be bothered though since a lot is going through his mond right now.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,598]

@Blitz Boom
"There is a reason why I want to kill her." Ruby stated, it wasn't new information that she wanted to kill her mother, or that it was in revenge, rather it was more a reminder to Leviathan that she didn't need to watch her words when talking about Ruby's and Charir's mother.

Ruby was not surprised that Leviathan started to clean up with her magic, in fact, that was kinda what she had hoped for when she mentioned the dust, she just didn't want to directly ask her to use her wind magic to do it, partly because she didn't want to ask for magic assistance out of principle, and partly because as mentioned, ultimately she didn't care if there was dust or not. Leviathan's little show got the attention of both of the younger dragons, as they watched her doing her thing, Charir with the usual childlike curiosity, and Ruby with her usual blankness, though there was a detail that was different between the two besides the obvious, that being, Charir watched what Leviathan did, while Ruby watched her doing it. 

 "It's important to have enough detail so that there's no misunderstanding on what the picture is." Ruby said as Charir looked through the scroll "I explained it to Charir already, but the idea here is that there's words that every dragon knows written down, each symbol is in several words in different spots, this makes it so that with little bit of thinking, you can figure out what sound each symbol ties to, which eventually leads to you being able to read the language." "I of course don't know if this is exactly how it worked originally, but since there no longer exists anyone who would teach these things, and all the text I've read makes sense when looking at it that way, it is a way that works." the thing about teaching oneself to read was that she had actually no way to know if she had learned things correctly, but since it seemed to work, did it really matter?

She then opened the other scroll not yet opened, it was again the assumed alphabet, but this time with the symbols there were letters from ponyish/English/common, one of the first things one could notice was that the alphabet didn't match, and instead of one symbol meaning one letter,  it was always several letters, there was also examples of some words from Ruby's language written in letters. Besides that, the scroll was kinda what one would expect, an almost textbook type of thing for learning a new language, this time it just was from non-Equestrian draconic to Equestrian common, and the things used as examples were mirroring the more hostile culture of Ruby's kind. 

------------------------------

The siblings kinda just shrugged at Harpoon's comment on Sheez, they personally weren't worried for this meeting specifically, because while Sheez was small like them, being a kobold and all that, she really radiated a kind of angry dragon feeling from her, so anyone stupid enough to get in her way was either a drunk, stupid, or a guard, and in the two former situations Sheez would be able to tell as much and at worst would punch them, not that it was entirely painless but still, and for the latter, well, there wasn't many guards around were there? sure Solar could be somewhere close, but if he got involved, good riddance, the two kobolds wouldn't feel sad for the loss. 

"I didn't say anything about exits for a reason." Trox stated "Exits you can't enter from are a thing, there is also ways to make the entrance such that nothing but direct attack is physically possible." "There's also a reason why I specified that it isn't really an option here." "Your world lacks the things to make that tactic as viable as it was back home." he was slightly less friendly in his speech than usual, his tone implying that he was slightly irked by Harpoon questioning them through what was ultimately pretty obvious thing, especially after he had said himself that it didn't really work here. 

"Your plan also has pretty bad holes in it." Sheska then stated "As I just said, whoever is after us has the range advantage, and you know where ranged weaponry is at the strongest? open areas, like clearings, yes, the assassin may have to come out to the the open, but we too would be out in the open, giving them the advantage, and that is ignoring the potential for flight you mentioned."
"You are also making the assumption that we two alone are the targets, what about Sear and Chega, they too were involved, in fact, they were probably more involved than Onache or even Trox, so leaving them alone would put them into a risk, because who do you think a killer would go after first? a bard and a dragon with an axe, or group of three where one is a guard, one can deal with stabbing victims without a flinch, and one has metal limbs?" 

 

 

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-11-20 at 8:25 AM, Blitz Boom said:

 

"Here you go dear. And do remember to discuss with them, the worktime required. A larger order such as this, are bound to take time from your usual business. I believe it only fair then, that the worktime be considered under your compensation for the job."

It might seem at times, that Scarcity were throwing bits around, without much thought. But she did think about how much she spend, and on what. It were just that she also had vast, unknown wealth from her illicit dealings, and paying extra well for good service, were not something she could be tracked on. Not that she really needed to, considering how the tax services were well in her power to deal with, but why bother, when she could play them? It were more interesting too that way.

That said, she were mostly dealing with this, from the perspective of investment. In the end, she'd likely reap more than she sowed. Not a guarantee of course, but she were mostly correct, or flexible enough to still find a way to make a profit, when she took a risk. Her track record were enough proof to show, that she were more right than wrong. And the times she were not? Well, every investment were a risk. Were she not able to accept that, she should not be doing it in the first place, now should she?

"I will have the contract made during the day, and delivered within three hours. That should prove sufficient time to do this well."

“I admit, this is rather unexpected, but I’ll go over the details and make sure all of the preparations will be made accordingly. Thank you for the opportunity and for your purchase, and I am looking forward to this. Oh, and I’ll have your contract signed and sent by tomorrow at the latest. Have a good day!”

The back door could be heard swinging open, and the sounds of hoof steps coming in, along with what could be considered as something being dragged along the floor. Peaks knew this was for tomorrow’s batch, and it was just the right time for them. The lunch crowd won’t be coming in until a little later, giving the bakers time to review the order. Well, it was just Peaks who was present, but if the rest saw the order form, they’ll either be elated at the prospect or shocked by the volume. Either way, what’s said has been done, and frankly, Peaks had to keep the bakery running somehow. This might just be what the place needs to grow, perhaps expand to places outside the old down. 

Of course, the sounds coming from within the bakery were more… conflicted after the fact. There was tension and some yelling and heated discussions, but those would be followed by silence and calmness. The bakers didn’t doubt the opportunity presented to them, and it was mostly fine until Peaks brought up the cakes. Buns and bread were guaranteed, and Scarcity didn’t have to worry about that. It was the cakes that were still worrisome, aside from the frozen mango tortes. That was a specialty of the bakery, but the rest of the cake order would take time. It was only until the part where they’d be compensated for the work put in to getting this order ready that the other bakers reconsidered. Seems like if they were to put this as their priority order, they’d be putting more hours into their work days.

As for Munchkin, she knew she had to part ways with the young filly who caught her attention. This one felt different, but she knew the bakery was the most familiar “home” she could have. It’ll be strange to go through the day knowing she might not see this group again. However, she wanted to at least give the filly some companionship for a bit longer. When Scarcity and Floral would step outside, the cat would first bunt and rub some of her scent on the filly, then follow up to a certain distance before they’ll eventually have to part ways. 

On 2022-11-20 at 8:25 AM, Blitz Boom said:

Wouldn't be long after that, that they'd reach a small shed. Therein, sat a rather normal looking, brown-coated young stallion, whistling away, as he sorted through several boxes of things, down a long table. Every thing brought up, the earth pony would examine quickly, then bring to it's correct position, before marking it down, and getting back to another box. All the things here, were small parts. Sawblades, hinges, pipes, and yes, tools. Most tools, being at the section near the end of the table. Some were in a box at that place too, and if they looked at them, they'd find that these were tools where the metal had little, if any problems. It were just the attachments that were not good. Such as broken or rotted hammer handles. It were the sort that'd need some work to get in good order, but there were bits and pieces on this long table, that were already fine, but were either a bit rusty, slightly warped, or just dirty, covered in gods knew what, and clearly needing a proper cleanse. There were also tools that seemed to not be failing anything. A few scratches at most, which were odd, and frankly, in Iron's opinion, a total waste.

"Just let Franks work, and look at things around him. We'll work something out if there's something."

(You are encouraged to make up/just find things now. Go nuts.  )

The siblings looked to their surroundings, the clanging, the heat, the focus… all of it looked dangerous, but being this close really put all of that into perspective. There was a rhythm to this place, strict but done with purpose. Sen could feel it, reminding him of his younger days. He didn’t pine for them anymore, but there was discipline, and after hearing Rosa and Foreman Masters talk about it, he was certain this was good for everyone. 

Lin would then see the table where the tools were being sorted. A lot of them looked like they could poke an eye out, but being inexperienced with seeing tools, she’d have to try to remember the ones her grandfather used. Not quite a good start, but there may just be enough overlap. Most tools used at home were made from stone or, in some cases, actually were stones hit against each other until something came out looking carved. The chisels Lin saw at one end of the table were a good start, maybe some a hammer or small mallet could also work. 

In the meantime, Sen was also considering on picking something up, though he hasn’t the faintest idea of what he might actually need. What he’d end up finding were a small collection of carving knives, the kind that could find use in getting more detailed work done on wood, though it wouldn’t really fit well for practical use outside the woodworking niche. He’d hold on to those for now to show to Lin when they’ll gather later.

The gouge tool that Lin found was her pick, and she’d try to find more within the tools, though she’ll end up running into a few saw blades. Those were rather terrifying up close, even if they weren’t a risk. Lin and Sen were taking their time with their search, partly to make sure they get something useful and practical and partly to avoid bringing something home that could be misconstrued as weapon. That latter part got Sen second-guessing the carving knives, though he'll still keep them on hoof. On the first pass, Lin would have a bent gouge, some straight chisels, screwdrivers with different heads, and a few odd-shaped cutters that looked like they were better suited to carving fruits than wood. It seemed that the longma thought they might have some use.

“Rosa? Would you happen to know about the tools I’ve gathered? I’d like to narrow down my options to maybe about three or coming up with a small set.”

At the same time, Sen would approach Omen with some interesting tools he found, though some were... questionable. Among them were a portable tank, metal nail file, and something that could be described as a discarded prosthetic limb.

“Hey, Omen. I figured I might pick up some things that might be useful, though I am unsure about some of these. See anything that interests you? Now's a good time to get something you might need.”

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

 

@Kujamih

On 2022-11-20 at 2:43 AM, Kujamih said:

But his attempts to take a nibble of the celery backfired. He panicked and ended up taking a big chunk of the celery and ended up kissing shark.

He'd turn full red and was about to burst.

" I- im sorry shark! I didn't mean to be so shameless!"

Shark looked surprised, as she were kissed, but she didn't go all red and flustered. She just stood there, chewing the last bit of her celery stick down, and observed how Light were reacting pretty weird. She'd lick her lips afterwards, getting a residual taste of her reddening mate.

"Mate taste like flower."

She'd go closer, and start to sniff his face, then lick his lips, if she had the chance, to make sure the taste were from him, and not the food. The taste probably came from the food though, but she had to make sure, right? It seemed important to know. Though she didn't mind if the taste were his. It wasn't a bad taste. She just wanted to make sure. Though if he stopped her from licking him, she'd halt, and just assume that she were right.

"Why mate red? Hurt?"

The male kitsune raised a paw, and seemed to chuckle behind it, finding the sight rather amusing. His sister did not seem to agree, and batted him on the side of his face with her paw.

"That's not fair. It's funny."

"Grandma would tie your tail if she saw you laugh at awkward love. It's like laughing at grandpa."

"I... You're right. Sorry."

"That's better."

Finding something amusing were one thing, but outright laugh were not okay. Not with something like this, which were sweet in its awkwardness, as far as she were concerned.

The hole situation did seem to get them out of sync for a bit though, so there were something individual about them now.

"Forgive Hachi, he means well. He's just... Foolish."

"That's not fair, Zhing. It just... Reminded me of home. Made me a little happier."

Seeing them talk like that, made apparent who the one in charge there would be. No big surprise really, as the kitsune ran more or less as a matriarchal society. The males had much to say too, but for each their own thing. Males generally ran hunting, teaching the kits in the wild, and protecting their villages. The females, were keepers of history, teachers of tradition, and the most prominent spiritual guides. They were more accustomed to be leaders, due to being guided more towards these positions of authority, overseeing others, though the current elder council, that rules over their town, did include males still. Just less so than females.

============================================================================

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2022-11-20 at 12:17 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"There is a reason why I want to kill her." Ruby stated, it wasn't new information that she wanted to kill her mother, or that it was in revenge, rather it was more a reminder to Leviathan that she didn't need to watch her words when talking about Ruby's and Charir's mother.

"The more you talk about her, the more reasons I hear. Still can't say I'm thrilled about the idea in general, but not like I could really judge you anymore, with the things you've told thus far."

She'd prefer not having to look at it still though. It still felt wrong to her, to have dragons kill dragons, but... This were between Ruby, and her mother. It wasn't up to her to try and deter her. Not anymore anyway. After the stuff she heard, it sounded like the old lizard frankly deserved some punishment. To what degree, she'd stay out of. Weren't any of her business, unless Ruby ended up getting hurt. That would make it personal.

On 2022-11-20 at 12:17 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

 "It's important to have enough detail so that there's no misunderstanding on what the picture is." Ruby said as Charir looked through the scroll "I explained it to Charir already, but the idea here is that there's words that every dragon knows written down, each symbol is in several words in different spots, this makes it so that with little bit of thinking, you can figure out what sound each symbol ties to, which eventually leads to you being able to read the language." "I of course don't know if this is exactly how it worked originally, but since there no longer exists anyone who would teach these things, and all the text I've read makes sense when looking at it that way, it is a way that works." the thing about teaching oneself to read was that she had actually no way to know if she had learned things correctly, but since it seemed to work, did it really matter?

Leviathan would bow to them both, being rather theatrical, and acting as if she had just been praised for a great performance.

Look, a dragoness could dream, right?

Once she were done having her fun, she'd go and look at the things proper, whilst Ruby gave an explanation.

"Bit convoluted maybe, but if it works, then that's what matters, yeah? It's like breaking and entering. You could learn to pick locks, and sneak in. Or you could rip the door off the hinges, walk in, and then hang it back on the hinges. Both gets you to the same. Just one's more complicated than the other."

She weren't saying that she had been a sneaky dragon, doing something illegal. All she'd say were, that she for sure didn't know how to pick a lock. You could take from that, whatever you wanted to.

"I'll try following along, and maybe learn of your language, by doing the same thing, that you're gonna be teaching him. It could be fun, even if I'd never get to use it anywhere 'round here. Let's see how it goes."

On 2022-11-20 at 12:17 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

She then opened the other scroll not yet opened, it was again the assumed alphabet, but this time with the symbols there were letters from ponyish/English/common, one of the first things one could notice was that the alphabet didn't match, and instead of one symbol meaning one letter,  it was always several letters, there was also examples of some words from Ruby's language written in letters. Besides that, the scroll was kinda what one would expect, an almost textbook type of thing for learning a new language, this time it just was from non-Equestrian draconic to Equestrian common, and the things used as examples were mirroring the more hostile culture of Ruby's kind. 

This sure were an interesting scroll. She could grasp the basic idea, but the way to teach, and what to get from it... She had never been a big language expert, but this seemed a feasible way of learning a new language, over time. She'd probably need more time than Charir, but at the same time, she'd likely also push to try and force herself to learn a bit faster. In the spirit of competition, of course. She found it gave her some motivation for trying harder, when she were comparing herself to others.

She'd sit and speculate, thinking over things, and writing in the air, trying to mix and match the letters into proper words, and trying to sort in her head, how to say them. Literally, in fact, as she were using magic to write with small strings of cloud. A waste of magic? Maybe, but she had no paper, and it were disrespectful to scratch her ideas into the furniture. It were more sensible to do this, in lieu of a blackboard, and proper school room.

"Haven't been schooled for a long time. Hopefully I won't flunk this class, like I did then.

What's generally, you think, the most important things to learn?"

====================================================================

 

@Catpone Cerberus

On 2022-11-20 at 12:17 PM, Catpone Cerberus said:

"Your plan also has pretty bad holes in it." Sheska then stated "As I just said, whoever is after us has the range advantage, and you know where ranged weaponry is at the strongest? open areas, like clearings, yes, the assassin may have to come out to the the open, but we too would be out in the open, giving them the advantage, and that is ignoring the potential for flight you mentioned."
"You are also making the assumption that we two alone are the targets, what about Sear and Chega, they too were involved, in fact, they were probably more involved than Onache or even Trox, so leaving them alone would put them into a risk, because who do you think a killer would go after first? a bard and a dragon with an axe, or group of three where one is a guard, one can deal with stabbing victims without a flinch, and one has metal limbs?" 

"Fair enough on the fights, but I don't think the assassin would be after those two. There were only two daggers above the door, so it seems the assassin would be after two targets specifically. And you two were with the changeling, when she were attacked. You were involved in both saving her, and the elderly couple. I'd think logically speaking, you two appear to be the more sought after targets. The daggers also seemed at least, to use the same poison, and not something for two different ones. Might mean nothing, but I hesitate to believe that we're looking at all four of you, being the targets right now.

That said... I suppose that Chega and Sear could be considered collateral, or bargaining chips. Poison them, lure us away to get the antidote... I overlooked some options. I'm sorry about that."

She were big enough to admit, when she failed something. And right here, she had sadly done so, quite substantially, it appeared, by not bringing up a few different things, that could be the case. She had also assumed a lot, without much in the way of concrete evidence. An issue, she'd have to admit, considering how little there were to know about the plans of their opponent.

"It's a difficult situation. We stay here, the chance of attack increases. We go outside, something might happen there...

I suppose, there is safety here, even in case of a gas attack. Windows could be opened, we could fortify the place... There's options. *sigh* Including your original idea, on how to deal with this.

Is there perhaps a less lethal way we could make use of that? Something where we could trap, rather than demolish somepony walking through? Catching a civilian by accident, aren't as bad. They'd be rattled, but they'd live, and frankly, I'd like to interrogate this assailant. There's questions I'd want answered."

Seemed like she were getting willing to compromise, judging by her stance change, when the kill hall essentially, were brought up the first time. Might be there were some sort of middle ground for them, but... They would probably need to think fast. The assassin would probably not stay away forever.

======================================================================

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-11-21 at 11:22 AM, EQ_Theta said:

As for Munchkin, she knew she had to part ways with the young filly who caught her attention. This one felt different, but she knew the bakery was the most familiar “home” she could have. It’ll be strange to go through the day knowing she might not see this group again. However, she wanted to at least give the filly some companionship for a bit longer. When Scarcity and Floral would step outside, the cat would first bunt and rub some of her scent on the filly, then follow up to a certain distance before they’ll eventually have to part ways. 

Floral were thrilled to have the little kitty follow her, as they exited the store, though as pleased as that made her, the sadder it also made her, when the cat would go back to the bakery. She understood that were her home, but Floral still liked having the stunted little kitty around. It was such an adorable little thing. Hammond were too of course, but who were to say, that she didn't have enough love for two, fluffy friends?

There'd be plenty of hoofsigns made, before they'd get much further, as Floral would begin to discuss things with her mother. She were not demanding that they took the cat, or tried to buy Munchkin either. She understood that this were her home, and that she were a friendly creature, with emotions and wants, and not a thing for her to own. But she were pleading to be able to get a ouch for cat treats. A harmless, innocent wish, that Scarcity would oblige. She did not give Floral everything, as she were a firm believer, that the young should not get accustomed to get whatever their heart desired, lest they'd grow up arrogant, and expected to be handed everything. But she'd let her have some things here and there, and this were something that she'd ask nicely for, with a good heart behind the wish. She saw no harm in relenting on that, even if they had to take a minor detour to go to a pet shop, and acquire one. They'd come out with a nice pouch though. And a bell in a small 8-ball formed toy. Though that one were for Hammond, who seemed fascinated by the thing, and kept shaking it, hearing the clicks, and then seeing the number change, into small words. Today were a fascinating day already.

The paperwork to the bakery, would arrive 2 hours later, by courier. Said courier would only hand over the sealed document to Peaks herself though, or to any co-owners, as he had been informed that this should go to those who could make decisions, as it pertained to them. It would include more clearly what they had discussed, with the courier also asking if they could arrange a meeting one of the following days, when they had figured out how many bakers, and how many hours, they'd require for this order specifically. It were for the nitty gritty details, of the compensation bonus, that she'd need, to be able to calculate the exact amount. Though she did have the courier bring half the payment for the order itself, thus far. Which would be handed over, soon as it were in writing, on both the parchment brought, that they agreed to this deal. With the usual nitty gritty, of expected delivery dates, notification if they could not make it in time, etc. Fairly standard stuff, and legally binding, so that she could not wriggle out of this order. She'd only be able to pull out, and not give payment, if she did not get her wares as requested, at roughly the correct time. She were not going to fuss on it being a few minutes late or such. They were grownups here, not petty foals. Delivery took time after all, and she were more concerned with things being done right, rather than being timely.

The legally binding document, and the proof of payment presented, should help ease the minds of Peak's colleagues, as they'd know now that unless they messed up, they'd be guaranteed payment for their hard work.

On 2022-11-21 at 11:22 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Rosa? Would you happen to know about the tools I’ve gathered? I’d like to narrow down my options to maybe about three or coming up with a small set.”

At the same time, Sen would approach Omen with some interesting tools he found, though some were... questionable. Among them were a portable tank, metal nail file, and something that could be described as a discarded prosthetic limb.

“Hey, Omen. I figured I might pick up some things that might be useful, though I am unsure about some of these. See anything that interests you? Now's a good time to get something you might need.”

"A small set... Yes, that would function well. Let's see what you have found then."

Rosa would take a look at the tools, by spreading them out in front of him, and getting in closer to examine them more closely.

"Well for a start, I would say that the set that Sen found, would do quite nicely in a particular niche, but I am assuming you mean what else can also be used, like per se, for larger projects."

It had not gone unnoticed to him, what Sen had found. He were however, not aware if it were not supposed to be shown in the first place, and more of a backhoof deal, to be used as gift. In which case, he would have to apologize later. He didn't think this were the case, but alas, he might be wrong.

"Starting with the gouge, it is not in a perfect state, but it is repairable, with enough effort. It would do well, I would think.

The chisels are a good find. They require a loving hoof too, but they are seemingly in acceptable shape for work."

They looked near perfect actually. The blades did anyway, barring some scratches, that showed them to be well used. One were going to need a layer of sandpaper on the handle certainly though. It looked as if other tools had been used on it, and made it all frayed. It's take a small layer off, but smoothening it, would certainly help.

"The screwdrivers... They are usable, but I am not familiar enough with your workers, to know if they work much in screws, and bolt. Traditional ones, in any case. These are made for standard screws, acquired from most vendor types, world over. The usability of these, would depend on how close to standard they use."

He would assume that nails were something they'd make themselves, if any were used, but screw and bolts? Especially the sort these tools were made for, as in, the mass produced ones? He had serious doubts about that.

"As for the last ones, they are rather... Soft cutters, judging by the blades. The local wood would need to be determined, to judge how much usage they have. If all are hard, they'd do little. More soft wood though, and they could prove usable for delicate work, as these seem more like vegetable carving tools, and most of those are not meant for things that are too hard. Except for pineapple and coconut openers, but that is another matter entirely."

On 2022-11-21 at 11:22 AM, EQ_Theta said:

At the same time, Sen would approach Omen with some interesting tools he found, though some were... questionable. Among them were a portable tank, metal nail file, and something that could be described as a discarded prosthetic limb.

“Hey, Omen. I figured I might pick up some things that might be useful, though I am unsure about some of these. See anything that interests you? Now's a good time to get something you might need.”

Meanwhile, Omen would be presented with things herself, by Sen. She'd approach them all, and sniff them, whilst poking each a bit with her hoof.

"I do not know what this is-"

Shed poke the portable tank that he had found.

"- but I remember the hoof file. I have seen it used, in places with ponies, and many, many strange things, and smells. I heard them say, that it helped make their hooves smoother. I think I have seen dragons with them too, but much bigger.

I do not know what the last thing is for sure. Is that a leg?"

The young worker were looking around, confused where the voice in his head were coming from, and what the context were. Masters didn't seem to react on it, but her eyes went over them all, and soon laser-focused on Sen, and Omen, as likely culprits. Which one were *speaking* she did not know though.

"Prosthetic limbs are illegal for us to sell, or reforge, without a permit. Mind if I have a closer look? If this here's a real deal, I'll have to report it. Might be somepony lost it. Happens every now and again."

Usually included alcohol, or sloppy medical staff, not thinking too much about it. Either way, if it were a prosthetic, there'd be a serial number, and she could go from that. Even if it were damaged, that didn't matter. The law were the law, and she'd follow it.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

Light's heart beat would stop for a second after shark licked him once more. The stunned Light would remember that Shark is just starting to learn the proper interactions with other creatures, and manners.

Hed try to recollect himself and lessen his blushing.

".... Im.... Im alright Shark.... It's just... You surprised me..."he gulped and panted, as if he had ran a marathon.

Light would just looked at both the kitsune and would not react much and just listen to them as he is too busy with his own thoughts.

[EQ_Theta 459]

@Blitz Boom

On 2022-11-23 at 6:49 AM, Blitz Boom said:

The paperwork to the bakery, would arrive 2 hours later, by courier. Said courier would only hand over the sealed document to Peaks herself though, or to any co-owners, as he had been informed that this should go to those who could make decisions, as it pertained to them. It would include more clearly what they had discussed, with the courier also asking if they could arrange a meeting one of the following days, when they had figured out how many bakers, and how many hours, they'd require for this order specifically. It were for the nitty gritty details, of the compensation bonus, that she'd need, to be able to calculate the exact amount. Though she did have the courier bring half the payment for the order itself, thus far. Which would be handed over, soon as it were in writing, on both the parchment brought, that they agreed to this deal. With the usual nitty gritty, of expected delivery dates, notification if they could not make it in time, etc. Fairly standard stuff, and legally binding, so that she could not wriggle out of this order. She'd only be able to pull out, and not give payment, if she did not get her wares as requested, at roughly the correct time. She were not going to fuss on it being a few minutes late or such. They were grownups here, not petty foals. Delivery took time after all, and she were more concerned with things being done right, rather than being timely.

The legally binding document, and the proof of payment presented, should help ease the minds of Peak's colleagues, as they'd know now that unless they messed up, they'd be guaranteed payment for their hard work.

Once Peaks and her fellow bakers received the paperwork for Ms. Scarcity, they’d have one thorough look at it, taking notes about the finer details about the large order. Something like this would take away about two days’ worth of work, maybe three at most, if the bakers considered preparing all of the cakes on their own. It was just them, after all, and aside from the bread and buns, which were about standard for the morning rush, decorating their sponge cakes and preparing the frozen ones would take plenty more time, especially if that meant gathering more ingredients. 

By then, Peaks would request to meet with the courier again two days from their meeting, preferably before the lunch rush, as that was when the bakery’s operations were slowest consistently. It’ll give them time to discuss any of the more important details. However, the sealed document would be reviewed and signed, as the bakers knew that they were already part of an agreement earlier, just one that wasn’t bound legally. Just as well as things had seemingly gone for the bakery for now, Munchkin would be back as well, likely having explored more of the town on her own before returning to the bakery. There was an evident sense of exhaustion on her, as she didn't appear too keen on parting ways with the nice filly and Hammond, but sometimes, there were things that had to happen. 

On 2022-11-23 at 6:49 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Starting with the gouge, it is not in a perfect state, but it is repairable, with enough effort. It would do well, I would think.

The chisels are a good find. They require a loving hoof too, but they are seemingly in acceptable shape for work."

They looked near perfect actually. The blades did anyway, barring some scratches, that showed them to be well used. One were going to need a layer of sandpaper on the handle certainly though. It looked as if other tools had been used on it, and made it all frayed. It's take a small layer off, but smoothening it, would certainly help.

"The screwdrivers... They are usable, but I am not familiar enough with your workers, to know if they work much in screws, and bolt. Traditional ones, in any case. These are made for standard screws, acquired from most vendor types, world over. The usability of these, would depend on how close to standard they use."

He would assume that nails were something they'd make themselves, if any were used, but screw and bolts? Especially the sort these tools were made for, as in, the mass produced ones? He had serious doubts about that.

"As for the last ones, they are rather... Soft cutters, judging by the blades. The local wood would need to be determined, to judge how much usage they have. If all are hard, they'd do little. More soft wood though, and they could prove usable for delicate work, as these seem more like vegetable carving tools, and most of those are not meant for things that are too hard. Except for pineapple and coconut openers, but that is another matter entirely."

“Sounds like there’s something to work with now, though I suppose I’ll drop the screwdrivers out of the tool set. I doubt the longma know what a screw is, so that’ll be useless. The chisels sound good, and maybe second gouge could be paired. Hmm… maybe I need to find a mallet or hammer; the folks back home used rocks in place of anything we’ve got here, so something with a good grip will see more use.”

“The soft cutters are probably not what the woodcutters would need though. I’ll try looking for more identical items to complete the set because I’m going for about three in total. Maybe you might need something here as well? Knowing what brother’s doing now with Omen, I figured he's also looking to get something useful for what's to come when we return home. Actually... there might be something...”

Going by what Lin remembers from her grandfather, the tools likely used by the carvers were stone chisels and large, blunt rocks. Objects were fastened together using tightly wound vines, and anything that could be deemed a risk for buildings had more materials keeping them propped up for stability. Though families living up in the trees was normal, the kind of of construction plans used for those were scrutinized heavily to make sure they won’t cause unneeded accidents for the occupants. Lin figured going back to the long table to grab something that might be useful for their home in the outskirts of town, but it can wait if Rosa wanted to talk some more.

As for Sen, he’d pretty much abandon the idea of using the portable tank as anything but an alternative to the canteen he uses, though he’d need to give it a very good round of cleaning. Who knows what was being held inside it before being discarded. The file was something he’d definitely want to keep, and he and Lin could take turns keeping their claws looking proper. 

On 2022-11-23 at 6:49 AM, Blitz Boom said:

I do not know what the last thing is for sure. Is that a leg?"

The young worker were looking around, confused where the voice in his head were coming from, and what the context were. Masters didn't seem to react on it, but her eyes went over them all, and soon laser-focused on Sen, and Omen, as likely culprits. Which one were *speaking* she did not know though.

"Prosthetic limbs are illegal for us to sell, or reforge, without a permit. Mind if I have a closer look? If this here's a real deal, I'll have to report it. Might be somepony lost it. Happens every now and again."

It was the prosthetic leg, however, that got the longma rather spooked. When Foreman Masters brought up the regulation for those, perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to hold on to one for any reason. Combined that with Omen’s earlier remark about what the longma likely got, and he’d try to distance himself from it.

“A leg?! Wha… Who would throw one of these out? Actually, I don’t think I want to know. Here, Miss Masters; the, uh… leg. I think I’ll keep looking for something else.”

It was as he said, and the longma returned to looking for something that could be beneficial to him or to the others. Aside from the various bits of scrap, he was more stumped than earlier, as there didn’t seem to be any tools that were, at the very least, familiar to him. It was unlikely that he’d find something that could be fashioned into a weapon for personal use, though if given a few more minutes, he’d find something that could be worth using, or holding on to that he could eventually use. He’d be back with another metal file and a telescoping rod, recovered from examining items from in the boxes from the other end of the long table where Lin and Rosa were speaking.

“This one looks more reasonable, even if it is just a stick. It’s pretty nice how it can lengthen or shorten; I might be able to use something for this.”

[Blitz Boom 4,626]

@Kujamih

The more Light kept going, the more the kitsune just looked at him. To a point, where after he talked, they both nodded knowingly.

"Just like grandpa."

It sounded like their grandfather were also an easily flustered one. In a way, that were good in their eyes, as it helped them connect a bit more with this odd couple, and thus, integrate a bit better. This were a strange, dangerous task after all. Usually, kitsune kits were only taught, in their own schools, or by following select teachers to the outside world, where they'd play tricks on unsuspecting other races, to show them what they were like. Sometimes, they'd be hidden, and wander near towns to get a look, but this? Alone, and on the outside? At their age, that were highly unusual. Even if they weren't the youngest kits in their village by far, they were still not of age to travel outside on their own. But after recent visitors, and news of the Equestrian princess, the elders had decided it were perhaps time they tried to connect with others. Not the Neighponeese ponies though. The two kin had a fairly balanced relation, but neither liked having the other near their settlements. The Equestrians had sounded more tolerant, seeing how they mingled with draconequii and all.

"Mate looks funny, all red."

Shark had a quick, bright idea, and picked up her last celery stick, then bit it in half, and then poked at Light's cheek, with the slightly oozing end.

"Green."

She'd stop playing with her food after that - and a slight giggle - and just went to town on her fish, chomping it down like a proper predator. The kits would eat theirs too, though in their more calm, well mannered way.

"So... What classes did you pick?"

"We have math, and advanced magical studies to begin with."

==============================================================

 

@EQ_Theta

On 2022-11-24 at 7:12 AM, EQ_Theta said:

By then, Peaks would request to meet with the courier again two days from their meeting, preferably before the lunch rush, as that was when the bakery’s operations were slowest consistently. It’ll give them time to discuss any of the more important details. However, the sealed document would be reviewed and signed, as the bakers knew that they were already part of an agreement earlier, just one that wasn’t bound legally. Just as well as things had seemingly gone for the bakery for now, Munchkin would be back as well, likely having explored more of the town on her own before returning to the bakery. There was an evident sense of exhaustion on her, as she didn't appear too keen on parting ways with the nice filly and Hammond, but sometimes, there were things that had to happen. 

The courier would nod, and inform them as they requested a time to meet up, that he would let Miss Scarcity know, that they wished to meet then. They were unlikely to see the courier, but Scarcity herself would be there, with perhaps some company.

This courier were one from a company in Canterlot, dealing with official documents. They had a well established track record of confidentiality, strict guidelines on not to open any mail they were asked to move around, and to not get involved in things. Only pick up, deliver, and do as instructed. A little hectic some days, and you had to be the right sort of being to deal with some of those, that they were sent out to, as a few could be rather intimidating, but it were well paying, so those who could handle it, tended to appreciate the work.

In any case, the time were set roughly, so Scarcity would know when t show up, and talk the finer details. So with the documents written, and payment transferred, the courier would bow his head, and be on his way. He had to deliver this back to Scarcity, then return to the central. They had a few parties to send invitations out for, and there were a fair bit of nobles who only made use of them, to deliver those. It were cheaper than having their own, constant hires, unless they did lavish parties regularly enough, or had other uses for a messenger. Though personal servants, tended not to be as good at it, as them, as they were more presentable, and used to this job, rather than someone who might fumble, whilst wandering around with a large, silver tray, filled with signed invitations.

Nobles were weird sometimes... But a job was a job, right?

On 2022-11-24 at 7:12 AM, EQ_Theta said:

“Sounds like there’s something to work with now, though I suppose I’ll drop the screwdrivers out of the tool set. I doubt the longma know what a screw is, so that’ll be useless. The chisels sound good, and maybe second gouge could be paired. Hmm… maybe I need to find a mallet or hammer; the folks back home used rocks in place of anything we’ve got here, so something with a good grip will see more use.”

“The soft cutters are probably not what the woodcutters would need though. I’ll try looking for more identical items to complete the set because I’m going for about three in total. Maybe you might need something here as well? Knowing what brother’s doing now with Omen, I figured he's also looking to get something useful for what's to come when we return home. Actually... there might be something...”

"If you're going for a set, a hammer, a chisel, and a gouge, would be a good set of three. I believe I spotted some hammer heads down here."

He'd go over, and look through a bucket, then pull up a perfectly fine hammer head. It barely had a scratch on it, and were a nice, heavy construction, with an screw shaft opening, it seemed.

"A replacement shaft of this caliber should be fairly easy to make, in a sturdy wood no less."

There were the option of going the complex route, of perfectly cutting into a piece of wood, to make it fit the opening... But he were more to the old fashioned method he knew of, where you put a almost fitting piece of wood in, had the head held in some grips, and then put in the elbow grease to turn it around, and use the opening to *form* the wood. Then just a nail through the mid opening up there in the end, and it would be stuck solid. It took quite a lot of elbow grease, but he were sure they could all use the cardio.

"As for myself, I have no need of something currently, though it is fairly interesting still, to see this place. It give me some inspiration for the future."

Granted, he did ned some throwing knives, but even if they had some here, he seriously doubted they lived up to his standards. He were used to some that were well balanced. Not some collection piece, tossed out by someone's marefriend, cleaning up their garage.

On 2022-11-24 at 7:12 AM, EQ_Theta said:

It was the prosthetic leg, however, that got the longma rather spooked. When Foreman Masters brought up the regulation for those, perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to hold on to one for any reason. Combined that with Omen’s earlier remark about what the longma likely got, and he’d try to distance himself from it.

“A leg?! Wha… Who would throw one of these out? Actually, I don’t think I want to know. Here, Miss Masters; the, uh… leg. I think I’ll keep looking for something else.”

Iron would look over the limb, as it were handed to her. Specifically, she'd look at the opening, where the stump would be connected to the rest of the leg.

"Yep, there's a serial number. We'll have this sent to the hospital, and they'll handle it from there.

These sorta things gets tossed out at random sometimes. Few times it's because the owner got a new one, but even then, there's protocols to go through, to have it decommissioned. This here still got the serial number, so it's going back."

Were a time, when she found it real spooky to find a leg, or a glass eye in the trash piles. Even a few times she got worried it were actually somepony that had been dismembered, and dumped.

These days, she had seen a lot, and were more unfazed with these sorts of things. Especially since most of the time, there were alcohol involved, and there were an owner, looking for this. Folks wouldn't believe, how often false legs were used to drink from, by younger, drunk ponies. Unfortunate they had a lost limb in the first place of course, but this were still reckless, and the trash collectors didn't notice that often. They just saw something were metal, and tossed it into another bin, before unloading it here later on.

On 2022-11-24 at 7:12 AM, EQ_Theta said:

It was as he said, and the longma returned to looking for something that could be beneficial to him or to the others. Aside from the various bits of scrap, he was more stumped than earlier, as there didn’t seem to be any tools that were, at the very least, familiar to him. It was unlikely that he’d find something that could be fashioned into a weapon for personal use, though if given a few more minutes, he’d find something that could be worth using, or holding on to that he could eventually use. He’d be back with another metal file and a telescoping rod, recovered from examining items from in the boxes from the other end of the long table where Lin and Rosa were speaking.

“This one looks more reasonable, even if it is just a stick. It’s pretty nice how it can lengthen or shorten; I might be able to use something for this.”

"Fairly useful stuff, but that one needs some oil. Folks tend to toss 'em after they start creaking, not realizing how easy they are to clean, and freshen up. Bit of care, and it'll be a suitable tool."

Some did also use them as a sort of boa staff, depending on the kind of telescopic rod it were, but that were really it. it depended on what sort it were. Could be all from a rod that could fill as little as two hooves, but extend to over a pony's length, to a fishing rod. She tended to keep the latter in a box, after they got found. Fishing season tended to bring in folks, looking for a cheap fishing rod, so there were good sale in those. Not from the pros, who used better ones, but the casual enjoyers, seemed to like the convenience of the foldable design, a fair bit.

As for Omen... She had just been looking around, and currently had her head at some boxes on a shelf. From there, she'd pull out a small, replica bell tower. It looked rather nice and clean, and as she shook it, it would give a nice little chime. She did not think much of it, but Shrimp? His whole body would perk, and he's rush down, to get hold of this thing. It were a little larger than him, but he'd wrap around the head of it all the same, and shake his body, making it ring a random little tune, whilst he sat on the roof of it, and roared joyfully. Seemed like it made him feel big, and the sound pleased him. So this one were coming too. It would be nice for him to play around sometimes, when they were resting.

"I found something. Have you found what you looked for?"

Omen would also have a few loose screws in her mane, but she seemed to pay it no heed, as she glanced back at the others.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

@Blitz Boom

"...hmmm if you ask me, I think shark would benefit from improving how some of our language works. While i would benefit more by learning more about her... So whatever she picks wherever she goes,  I'll follow her." He ponders .

" But of course, whatever Shark picks is okay with me since she'd still pick up conversational skills  whichever class she picks first... And i think shed prefer sports and... Um "moving classes". He added.